The Chairman
of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions,
Senator Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, Sunday said the
Minister of Works, Power,
Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), cannot dictate to the National Assembly
on what to do and what not to do on the budget, saying it is an organ vested
with powers to either increase or reduce the budget size.
Fashola had
criticised the Senate for slashing the total estimate allocated to his ministry
in the budget recently assented to by the acting President, Yemi Osinbajo from
N31billion to N10billion.
He said the
huge reduction would incapacitate his office on some of the projects such as
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Second Niger Bridge and Mambila Plateau Power project
among others that were already earmarked for completion.
But Ibrahim,
who spoke with journalists on the sidelines of the fifth edition of the
University of Ilorin’s Students’ Union Leadership Summit held in Ilorin,
theKwara State capital said it was unbecoming of the minister, who he described
as an appointee of the president to criticise the legislature.
According to
him, “As far as appropriation bill is concerned, Fashola cannot dictate to the
National Assembly on what to do and what not to do.”
He said: “It
is an organ vested with powers to either increase or reduce the budget size.”
Ibrahim
explained that the issue of budget is primarily between the lawmakers, who
represent their constituents and the Nigerian populace.
He
maintained that the minister was oblivious of the fact that he is no longer the
Lagos State Governor, who possesses all powers.
He added
that both chambers of the National Assembly had passed the budget and was
subsequently signed by the acting president.
The Senate
Committee Chairman advised the minister to refrain from his criticism of the
budget allotted to his ministry in the appropriation act and represent those
projects that were not captured in the supplementary budget.
“The
minister and former Governor of Lagos State doesn’t own the budget; he doesn’t
own the ministry. He is a minister appointed by the president, who stood for an
election.
“The
president presented the budget according to the Constitution and the National
Assembly deliberated on the budget and passed it back to the president and the
President signed, who is minister to complain? That is my take. I think he
(Fashola) has forgotten he is no more Governor of Lagos, where he has all the
powers.
“He is just
a minister. So, we have gotten to a point that he has to realize that for the
budget, the dealing is majorly between Nigerian people and the National Assembly.
And constitutionally, it is the President that laid the estimates and when we
passed it, we passed back to the executive, that is the president, to assent.
“And the
President has assented (the budget) as done by the acting president. So, for me
as a lawmaker representing my people, if the executive is thinking of anything,
they can bring a supplementary budget,” Ibrahim said.
On the
summit and the book launch in his honour, the lawmaker expressed satisfaction
with the activities of the students’ union.
“I’m very
happy, humble and glad to be associated with a great institution like this. As
I promised, I will not let them down,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment