Politics

Presidency defends Dogara, says nothing like budget padding

Published

8 years ago

August 10, 2016

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The Presidency on Tuesday, said the budget signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari was not padded.

This was stated by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, when himself and his counterpart for the House of Representatives, Mr. Ismail Kawu, appeared before the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Abuja.

It would be recalled that the former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin, had accused Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and three others of padding the 2016 budget, that is, inserting items into the document.

Enang and Kawu told the leadership of the APC that they were at the party headquarters to let them know the position of the presidency.

While speaking with journalists, Enang said they came on the invitation of the party leadership to answer questions on the 2016 Appropriation Act.

“We have given explanation on every issue. There is nothing, to our knowledge, like padding of the budget. The budget, as assented to by the President, is the budget passed by the National Assembly and it is being executed.

“For now, the party is handling it as a domestic issue; a party issue. All of us have been told not to make public comments because the matter is still under consideration.

“We will not want to go into the details so that we will not breach the party’s directive or preempt the outcome of the party’s probe.’’

On whether Dogara has been cleared by the presidency, Enang said “I will say we came here as persons who work as liaison officers on the budget. The party wanted us to make clarifications and we have made those clarifications.

“We will not draw any conclusion. Please, let us not go too far by mentioning any office. Let it be that two of us have appeared before the party.”

According to him, the legislature had the constitutional duty to amend the Appropriation Bill sent to it by the President.

“In all our years of legislative engagement, we have yet to find in the legislative lexicon the word, ‘padding.’ When the budget is presented before the legislature, the legislature is to consider the budget and pass as it deems fit.

“So, what the legislature passes becomes the Appropriation Act upon assent. Therefore, any word which has yet to crystallise in legislative lexicon, you cannot hear us mention it”, he stated.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews

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