The House of Representatives’ spokesman, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas has assured that the National Assembly will by this week deliberate on the 2016 budget with the view to solving the current crisis surrounding the Appropriation Bill.
Speaking on Channels Television yesterday, Namdas stated that the National Assembly is not responsible for the delay in assenting the budget, explaining that the delay is because President Muhammadu Buhari was yet to see reasons to sign the document.
He also stated that the leadership of the National Assembly will be meeting with the President to seek ways to end the standoff on the budget.
“The principal officers of the two chambers have met over the document and they have also resolved to meet with the President so that together they can examine the grey areas and the interest of the President.”
“Then we will come back to the chamber, reexamine the document this week and I believe that all these issues will be resolved amicably.”
Speaking on the grey areas which the President pointed out when he returned the document to the lawmakers, Namdas said, “Don’t forget that this budget has already been passed. If the President had assented to the budget we would not have been at this level.
“But because we are of the same government; an arm of government and we are interested in Nigerians getting what they want, since the principal officers have agreed to meet with the President, it will not be fair for us to discuss matters before meeting the President on the grey areas.
“We will plead with Nigerians, for all this while that we have been patient, lets kindly wait. By the time we meet with the President, this thing will be made known.”
Namdas denied claims that lawmakers removed the Lagos-Calabar project from the proposed budget, stressing that “we have not in any case removed the railway project. It is a document that was brought to us by Mr President. It is not in the first document and it is not in the amended version.
“But if it is among the grey areas the President wants us to talk about, we have assured Nigerians that it is a very nice project and we will take it,” Namdas added.
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