By Tunde Opalana
Senate has refuted allegations of padding the N819.5 billion supplementary budget of the Federal Government (FG), passed last Thursday.
This came as the parliament described insinuation that the recently appropriated N70 billion for the National Assembly as a “gift” from the Executive arm of government, as mischievous.
Senate added that the passage of the Supplementary Appropriation Act was part of its constitutional duties to accommodate funding for Federal Government’s palliative for Nigerians, among other national demands.
The reaction of the Senate to the alleged padding of the supplementary budget as reported in some sections of the media (not Daily Times) was contained in a statement issued by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu and made available to newsmen in Abuja, weekend.
According to the statement, “after the passage of the Supplementary Budget to accommodate funding for Federal Government’ Palliative for the Nigerian public, among other urgent national demands, the socio-political space has been inundated with spurious, inaccurate and irreverent misinterpretations.
“Suffice to say that the passage is part of the absolute constitutional duty of the Senate. We would, therefore, not wish to join issues with the mischief and misrepresentation that a portion of the just passed Amendment Act that appropriated 70b Naira was a ‘gift’ to the Legislators,” the statement noted.
Senator Adaramodu stressed that a routine visit to the National Assembly by an outsider would reveal an unsightly situation where lawmakers are compelled by circumstances to come to work with personal furniture, working tools and other items in a bid to deliver service to Nigerians, adding that similar situation applies to thousands of other staff of the nation’s legislative arm,
To Sen. Adaramodu, this should not be so.
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He wrote: “A visit to the Suites, offices and the general structures of the National Assembly complex would reveal a yawning gap and the need for exigent attention. Many Senators had to bring their chairs, tables and electronics and in many cases, do sundry repairs.
“The so much debated allocation will not be paid to any Legislator. This will be managed by the National Assembly Bureaucracy. It’s pertinent to also note that the National Assembly Complex does not house only the Legislators. There are thousands of workers and service providers, whose working environment need a face-lift, and/with necessary tools.
“Since the Assembly Complex is not owned by Legislators who are merely political birds of passage, such allocation cannot be termed by anyone as a palliative to the Legislators.
“The alleged padding of the palliative Budget by the National Assembly only exists in the minds of those who are all out to discredit the 10th Assembly. There is nothing like padding as being alleged in some misinformed media outfits.
“We wish to urge fellow compatriots to see the National Assembly as partners in the progress of Nigeria. The National Assembly is the soul of democracy, and the 10th Senate shall join hands with other arms of government and our forward-looking Nigerians to sing new songs of progress, development, safety and all-round economic recovery and growth.”
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