'Your language is unparliamentary', Minister replies Senator Goje

dimeji akinloye

July 7, 2017 4:37 AM

Fashola reiterated his respect for the parliament, saying it should be a House where vigorous debates about development should take place.

Nigeria's Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN)

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing,

He said the legislator's utterances were "therefore not deserving of a reply."

Fashola decently slammed Goje in a statement he sent in from Zimbabwe on Thursday, July 7, 2017 - he is attending the 35th Annual General Meeting of the Shelter Afrique in the country.

The minister expressed disappointment in Goje, who is the Chairman, Committee Chairman on Appropriation.

He said it is regrettable that the Senator would trivialise the issues he (Fashola) raised about the unilateral slashing of the budgetary allocation to key national infrastructure by the National Assembly.

Goje had on Wednesday, July 5, advised Fashola to resign if his workload is taking a toll on him.

The lawmaker slammed the minister after he accused the National Assembly of removing key projects of his ministry in the 2017 budget.

In his statement, Fashola said Goje's reference to the patriotism of legislators should not be mere words but put in action as regards his calls for a more developmental budgeting approach.

"In this context, it is left for Nigerians to then decide whether budgeting for constituency roads is more patriotic than budgeting to complete the Kano-Maiduguri Road that connects five states, the Lagos-Ibadan Road that connects three states and helps to move food, imported goods and fuel across the country; or the second Niger Bridge that connects the South-East and the South-West geopolitical zones of at least 11 states together," he said.

"I will also leave Nigerians to judge whether it is more patriotic to budget for the Mambilla Power Project that will contribute to more power supply across Nigeria or reduce the budget to build street lights in legislative constituencies."

Fashola reiterated his respect for the parliament, saying it should be a House where vigorous debates about development should take place.

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He advised Goje to acquire the temperament for such debate and disagreement.

On Goje's admonition that Fashola should learn how to "behave" like a "minister" and the reference to the Senate awaiting how he would be "handled" by the House of Representatives, the minister said, "I think first that the language is unparliamentary and therefore not deserving of a reply."

Fashola stressed that a good budget remains a necessary tool for the executive to do its work because when services are inadequate, the members of the public often look to the executive arm for answers.

"I need a better budget as a tool to do my work and that is why l am speaking out," he said.

dimeji akinloye