President says budget at National Assembly not what he presented

monjola sotubo

February 24, 2016 4:32 PM

Buhari made the disclosure on Tuesday, February 23, 2016, while addressing members of the Nigerian community in Saudi Arabia.

President

“The culprits will not go unpunished. I have been a military governor, petroleum minister, military Head of State and headed the Petroleum Trust Fund. Never had I heard the words “budget padding,” he said.

“Our Minister of Budget and National Planning did a great job with his team. The Minister became almost half his size during the time, working night and day to get the budget ready, only for some people to pad it.”

“What he gave us was not what was finally being debated. It is very embarrassing and disappointing. We will not allow those who did it to go unpunished,” he added.

The budget has been the centre of controversy since it was reported missing from the Assembly premises in January.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki later said that two different versions of the document had been submitted to the legislative house.

The saga has led to the sack of the Director-General of the Budget Office, Yahaya Gusau while Buhari is said to have also ordered a cleansing of the office.

monjola sotubo