Lagos-Calabar rail controversy: FG defends Amaechi, insists project in Budget

The Federal Government on Tuesday came to the defence of Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi who has been accused by the National Assembly of causing the controversy surrounding non-inclusion of the N60 billion Lagos-Calabar rail project in the 2016 Budget passed by the federal legislature. In a statement, the Federal Government insisted that the project was duly submitted and accepted by the National Assembly for approval, contrary to claims by the federal legislators that the Minister only brought in the project during budget defence of his ministry.

In the statement, signed by the Media Adviser to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Mr. James Akpandem on Tuesday, the federal government insisted that the relevant committees of the parliament received the document. The statement read in full: “In view of the recent controversies surrounding the 2016 budget, it has become necessary to state the following so as to set the facts straight: The details of the 2016 budget were received by the President on Thursday, April 7, 2016.

“Immediately this was received the President, desirous of signing the document into law as soon as possible, directed that copies should be made available to Heads of the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government.

Ministers were asked to go through the details and give their reactions as it affects their respective Ministries so as to guide the President and enable him sign the Appropriation Bill into law. “That process is still ongoing and no statement has been issued by the Executive on the matter, apart from the one by the Honourable Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohamnmed, to confirm that details of the budget are being examined