Why My Colleagues And I Will Continue To Pad The Budget - House Leader, Gbajabiamila

Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus in the House of Representatives, has said that irrespective of the nomenclature given to the act of budget-padding, the National Assembly will continue to pad the budget for certain reasons.

Gbajabiamila, who initially claimed not to understand what budget-padding means, explained that lawmakers, even in the most advanced democracies of the world, pad the budget to be able to generate extra money for providing democracy dividends to their respective constituencies especially when their constituencies are not captured in the national budget.

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The lawmaker disclosed this during an interview on Channels TV that was anchored by Seun Okinbaloye

He said that it was legislative malpractice for a lawmaker to sit back and do nothing when a national budget that does not make provisions for his constituency is been appropriated.

The Majority Leader said that in some advanced countries, budget- padding is not only practiced but called ‘earmarking’ or ‘pump-up legislation.’

He said that since the National Assembly holds the power to the national treasury, it will continue to scrutinize the level of budget-padding from the executive, stressing that it’s not a rubber stamp.

Gbajabiamila said that since suspended Rep. Abdulmumuni Jibrin decided to take the issue of legislative budget padding to the law enforcement agencies, it was proper for the House to sit back and let them do whatever they want to do, adding that there was no regret over suspension of Jibrin, if indeed he was a true whistle-blower like he claimed to be.

He said: “Abdulmumuni Jibrin did what he needed to do. He took the matter to the law enforcement agencies – the EFCC, the police and the rest of them. He has done his. The National Assembly does not agree with it. He put the ball in the court of the law enforcement agents. It is up to them to do whatever they want to do. I’m not aware of any padding. I don’t understand what that means.

“When it comes to money and I represent a particular constituency but I look at the budget and I don’t see my constituency represented in that budget and I know that throughout the year people of my constituency have needs – they want this; they want that. It is only me they can talk to. They are not going to talk to the President.

“I actually consider it as malpractice not padding, if during the budget circle I have opportunity to attract something to my constituency and I sit back and do nothing and go back in four years to seek for their mandate again when I promised them all these years that I will do this and do that. What do I go back and tell them? ‘Oh, I am not allowed to pad the budget.’

“If for instance, I represent a constituency and a budget is sent to National Assembly. It is one of the most important pieces of legislation to come out of the National Assembly. By my representation, I should attract federal presence to my constituency.

“Even in the most advanced of democracies, you have heard of earmarks, you have heard of pumped-up legislation. It is the same thing. It is done everywhere in the world otherwise you are not worth the sit you seat on.

“Let me explain something to you about padding. That’s what Nigerians need to understand. It doesn’t mean that if you hear anything thing negative about the National Assembly and you are not objective. You will not understand what is going on.

“In terms of padding from the executive, there are checks and balances. That’s why we have always argued that the National Assembly is not a rubber stamp. It is trite that the legislature holds the power of the purse. We will go through this budget and look at it item for item; item by item. Whatever padding means, I don’t know.”

N1b Budget Padding Bribe Scandal Rocks Gov. Tambuwal Of Sokoto; It's Mischievous - Sokoto Gov. Says

Report emanated from Sahara Reporters suggests that the Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, during his tenure as the Speaker of Nigeria's House of Representative in 2012 and 2013 allegedly solicited for N1 billion through his Deputy, Chibudom Nwuche from the office of the Presidential Amnesty Program,  in order to ensure a passage of the Amnesty office budget, the report the governor has denied.

Tambuwal, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Imam Imam, the governor said he had never engaged in legislative, political, administrative or business relationship with the persons alleged in the story.

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An online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, had reported that Nwuche in 2012 and 2013 allegedly solicited for N1 billion from the office of the Presidential Amnesty Program on behalf of Tambuwal, who was then the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in order to ensure a passage of the Amnesty office budget. However, Imam said, “there is no iota of truth in the story as it relates to Governor Tambuwal.”

The statement reads: “The attention of Sokoto State Governor, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has been drawn to a story published by SAHARA REPORTERS alleging that he helped a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche, to receive some illegal payments from the Amnesty Office.

“The story, as it relates to Tambuwal, is false, mischievous, and without basis. For the records, Tambuwal has never engaged in legislative, political, administrative or business relationship with the persons alleged in the story. “Nwuche left the House of Representatives in 2003, the same year Tambuwal was elected into the National Assembly to represent Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency in the House.

He was not in the House of Representatives when Nwuche was in the House” Imam noted further that, “The history of the frosty relationship between then Speaker Tambuwal and elements close to former President Goodluck Jonathan (which both Nwuche and Kingsley Kuku were prominent members), is well known to Nigerians.

“Speaker Tambuwal could not have had dealings with people who considered him antagonistic to the aspiration of their benefactor (Jonathan). There is no iota of truth in the story as it relates to Governor Tambuwal,” the statement said.

Stop That Nonsense About Padding! It Is Forgery Simplicita, By Barr. Ibrahim Lawal

 Barr. Ibrahim Lawal,

Looking for Padding as a head of offence is a fantastic exercise in futility, the term is not a legal phrase, or a head of offence but a word in English Dictionary. The offence lies in the literal meaning of "padding".

The meaning of padding attracts the offence of official corruption, Abuse of office (under the EFCC Act)and other sundry offences recognized by our law.

Please check the meaning of padding, you will agree that it is forgery

If you say somebody slapped another, can you charge the person for slapping? No, you will charge such person for assault.

Next time, don't say padding, instead say forgery.

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Budget PADDING Lawful - Lawyers

Leadership - Legal luminaries in the country have said there was nothing wrong in the members of the National Assembly, opting to pad the federal budget. Such action they told LEADERSHIP Sunday, falls within their constitutional duty of budget appropriation.

A House of Representatives member and former chairman of Appropriation Committee, Hon Abdurahim Jibrin levelled the accusation of surreptitiously inserting figures into the 2016 Budget, presented to the House by President Buhari against the speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers of the House.

Malam Yusuf Ali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, who spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday, said there was nothing wrong with lawmakers appropriating money to their constituencies in the budget. According to Malam Ali, the figure inserted into the budget, if used for what it is meant for, violates no law.

“If the figures inserted into the budget is used for what it is meant for, there is nothing wrong with that. But it is unfortunate that in this country we abuse a lot of things”.

Another SAN, Mr. Ahmed Raji, said that padding as an act is not known to the law of the country, but can lead to crime when you insert figures into the budget without executing the project it is meant for. Raji said, “Padding as an act is not known to law but it can lead to

crime when you pad the budget without executing the project money appropriated are meant for.”

Chief Godwin Obla (SAN), said padding has to do with tinkering with the budget. He said the budget is sent to the National Assembly in the first place to be tinkered with. “Lawmakers in the process of tinkering with the budget can pad it. If they are padding the budget for the good of their constituencies, there is nothing wrong with that”, he said.

A Constitutional lawyer, Dr Tunji Abayomi, described budget padding as constitutionally wrong and not criminally wrong.

Abayomi said, “It is a constitutional wrong but not a criminal wrong. NASS has no power to raise budget heads. It is a moral wrong. It is against separation of powers in government”.

But for Festus Okoye, a Kaduna-based constitutional lawyer, “there is nothing like budget padding in the constitutional frame work.” Okoye who spoke to our correspondent in a telephone interview said, the National Assembly has the powers to add or remove from the budget proposals and projects estimates as it deems fits.

According to him, “What the executive sent to the national assembly are proposals and estimates and NASS is entitled to subtract or add to the proposals and estimates, they are also entitled to change a few things in what has been sent to them and that is what is called the power of appropriation, to appropriate funds for certain projects, so,the executive can propose one billion for a project and the NASS can change it and say the project can be executed for two billion, based

on the budget estimates and proposals sent to them. Constitutionally there is nothing like padding in the constitutional frame work. What is provided for in our constitutional framework is the power of appropriation and screening. So, if members of the NASS decide to add projects to what has been submitted to them, for me there is nothing wrong with that constitutionally. We have budget proposals and project estimates which the NASS can tamper with.”

Okoye who says padding does not exist in law and in the constitution, regarding appropriation said, “Let us remove semantics from what is presently going on at the NASS

regarding budget padding or no padding, the truth of the matter is that there is nothing called budget padding, secondly, it is the constitutional right of NASS to look at budget proposals and projects estimates and make amendments where necessary.”

Meanwhile, amidst controversy over allegation of padding of the 2016 budget by the former chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Hon Abdurahim Jibril , the national chairman of Citizens Popular Party (CPP). Chief Sam Eke has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the weighty allegation against the speaker of the House of

Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and three other principal officers.

The former presidential candidate noted that any attempt to sweep the allegation under the carpet will not augur well with the anti-corruption fight of the federal government.

Chief Eke said it was necessary that the principal officers who were mentioned by the former chairman of House Appropriation Committee in the budget scandal be investigated by an independent committee to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of such claims. He warned that if the speaker and other three principal officers fail to resign and present themselves for proper investigation, it will

create credibility question for the House leadership, adding that the budget scandal should not be treated like previous scandals that were ignored by the government.

He said “The revelations by Jibrin is heavy and it cannot be ignored or swept under the carpet, I call for the probe of the allegation against Dogara and the principal officers on the budget padding. The president can set up an investigation committee to tell us why projects in the budgets are not executed and are represented in the budget every year and never executed. There is need for a holistic audit of the National Assembly since the return of democracy

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Budget PADDING: What Buhari 'Told' Dogara At Vila Secret Meeting; Speaker In Tight Corner Over Impeachment

Fresh facts emerged yesterday that Dogara was at the Presidential Villa on Friday to brief President Muhammadu Buhari on the controversy over the padding of the budget.

A government source, according to The Nation Newspaper said: “Despite the fact that the president already had security reports on the problem in the House, Dogara came to explain the situation to him.

“But after listening to him, Buhari did not make any commitment. He only noted what Dogara said.”

Meanwhile, the embattled Speaker Yakubu Dogara is in desperate search for  a minimum of additional  28 members of the House to retain his leadership of the Green Chamber, The Nation Newspaper says

Dogara who has come under intense scrutiny  and pressure to quit on the strength of allegations by the sacked chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Abdul-mumin Jibrin, that he and four other principal officers of the House were involved in budget padding, has already secured the signatures of  262 of the  360 members.

The 262, The Nation learnt, have already signed a register opened by Dogara to keep track of those backing him in the biggest threat yet to his position since he was elected in an acrimonious process in June last year.

But he needs an additional 28 signatures from the remaining 98 members to be relatively at ease.

The following is the breakdown of the 98 Reps who are yet to sign the register:

Lagos -18; Sokoto -2; Kogi -1;Bauchi -2; Oyo -6; Kaduna-3; Osun -6;Niger -3;Ondo -4;Taraba -1;Ogun -1;Katsina -3;Kebbi -1;Edo -5; Kano -4;and Benue -1.

The implication is that the Speaker has challenges in Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun.

But he has gained more support from Sokoto, Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Kwara, Borno, Ekiti, the entire South-East and South-South both of which are controlled by the PDP.

Dogara’s strategists are said to be shocked by the refusal of two out of the 12 Representatives from his home state of Bauchi to support him.

A source who is familiar with the unfolding event said: “About 262 Representatives have signed the register to back Dogara although the target is actually 290 members to Ward off any threat.

“About 98 members have not signed, undecided or on vacation.

“The only challenge Dogara is having borders on poor support base for his Deputy, Yusuff Lasun in the South- West. Out of the 65 Representatives from the South-West, only about 30-36 signed the register. Whereas, Dogara was able to secure 95 per cent signatures of members from the North-East.

“It got to a ridiculous extent that some chairmen of committees from the South-West stayed away from the register. The House leadership considered it a slight.

“At a meeting of pro-Dogara loyalists during the week, the Deputy Speaker was faulted for not embracing his colleagues from the South- West after the House has reconciled.

“Although Lasun gave the details of his rapprochement with Representatives from the South-West, members were not convinced at all.

“Dogara is however doing a lot to persuade Reps from the South-West to forget the past. If the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila pitches his tent with Dogara, then it will be an easy ride for him.

“So far, there is a lot of pressure on the Deputy Speaker to wield influence on his colleagues from his geopolitical zone to back Dogara.

“Gbajabiamila has a onerous task at hand. The former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Jibrin was on his side before he made a volte face at the last minute. Jibrin’s switch of support earned Dogara the Speakership.

“Members are eager to see whether Gbajabiamila will pay Jibrin back in his own coin or stand by Dogara based on privileged information at his disposal.”

A member of the House in Dogara’s camp said: “It is going to be a battle to the finish. Some of us have suspended our vacation because of the challenge at hand.

“What I can assure you is that Dogara will survive this battle because he is innocent of all the allegations against him.”

However, it was gathered that there is even no guarantee that the 262 that have signified their support for him in the survival battle will line up behind him when the chips are down with sources citing the fluidity of the House politics

The Speaker and his loyalists are said to have been reaching out to as many Reps as possible in an attempt to ensure that  Dogara is not brought down by the Jibrin allegations.

Reps are being wooed to back the present leadership.

Sources said the Speaker had to call off a foreign trip to enable him personally monitor events as they unfold on the budget padding allegations.

Some of the lawmakers are said to have  shunned the register outright  while  some other are either out of the country or have not yet made up their mind on the issue.

About eight governors, from Dogara’s APC and the opposition PDP are said to have rallied round him to ensure that he survives the plot to oust him.

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Budget Padding: When Madman Kills His Witchdoctor, Goke Butika

Still on budget padding at the National Assembly, the former chairman, Appropriation committee of the House of Representatives, Dr. Abdulmumin Jubrin, 40, has vowed not make it half full, while Speaker Dogara, our own Deputy Speaker Lasun Yusuf and others have insisted in not taking the matter half empty; suggesting that "several legs would be in one length of a pair of trousers.

The entire drama is interesting but not funny. While the leadership of the House of Representatives is living in denial, Jubrin, an academic turned lawmaker has advanced his "cause" by deliberately knocking the doors of anti-graft agencies and security agencies with aim of inviting them to look into the books of the parliament, particularly on budget fraud which was lexically coined as "padding".

In the raging struggle, three schools of thought emerged: the first one are those who want the message to be held serious irrespective of the character value of the whistleblower; the school of thought are those who read vendetta or reprisal attack to the intention of the messenger and the third school of thought are those who see no crime in the drama of absurd.

The first school of thought appeals to our reason, they believe that, for Jubrin to have shouted on the rooftop with some level of comfort and claim to incriminating evidence against the leadership of the house, he must have been very sure of his fact. To them, Jubrin was part of the budget process which was allegedly padded, and he actually coordinated the padding, and being a member with cognate experience in the inner workings of the house, plus being an establishment guy, he knows more than anyone speculating on the issue.

However, those who were of the opinion that that Jubrin is acting spoiler because he was thrown out of his seat as the Appropriation committee chairman, holding that the timing was wrong. They argued that he ought to have shouted while the criminal padding was being done, but they have not disputed Jubrin on the criminal padding paddled by the leadership of the house.

The third school of thought, seems kowtow to the narrative of the establishment that the padding does not exist but budget process which the nation's constitution empowers the parliament to work on, varies figures if possible and approve. So, to them, Jubrin was singing because he is bitter about his removal.

A critical look at the arguments of the three schools shows that only the first school of thought wants us to employ reason on the process and procedure that led to the budget padding, and that was the argument that drew our attention to the untold story behind the refusal of President Muhamnadu Buhari to sign the budget in the first place, and that demands some questions on what obtained under the table while Deputy Speaker Lasun's committee was tasked to rework the padded figures. While the two other schools premised their argument on emotion and jejune premises.

Meanwhile, I am beginning to believe story of Jubrin, not because the guy is clean or has noble intention, but because an argument is considered to be true either necessarily or Contingently, if premises are laid on propositional, veridical or empirical facts with justifications. Jubrin appears to have outsmarted Dogara, Lasun and others with his facts and evidential proof which are yet to be contradicted. Obviously, silence is no longer golden on this issue.

Having gone through the fact checks, one thing is very clear, that corruption has no tribal or religious sentiment-Dogara, a Christian is Hausa man, Lasun, a Muslim is a Yoruba man, and Leo Ogor, a Christian is an Ibo man. So, when I see some Nigerians playing religious or tribal sentiment on election or appointment, I pity the people who are yet to recognize that they are just mere pawns on the chessboard of the corrupt few who hod their nation by the jugular.

Anyway, with the way Jubrin has waged his new war against his "comrades in crime" appears to be unprecedented in the history of Nigeria rigmaroled budget process, but not new, because there is always a constant conjunction that thieves would fight over their loot. We should  encourage the President to maintain a straight face on this issue as usual, because what sauces for Saraki at the senate,  sauces for Dogara, Lasun and others at the House of Representatives. Padding is forgery, and the characters involved must be brought to justice.

Butikakuro is an intercontinental journalist.

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DSS Seals Off Reps Budget Secretariat Over Dogara's Invasion To Seize Vital Evidences

Following the allegation by Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin that Speaker Yakubu and three others accused in the ongoing 2016 budget padding scandal, the secretariat of the House Committee on Appropriation has been placed on lock and key by Nigerian Secret Police, the Department of State Security, DSS.

The SSS officials stormed the secretariat, which serves as offices for the 40-member appropriation committee and its staff, and immediately placed it under lock and key, Premium Times confirms

The closure marked the latest development in the ongoing political and media war between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and a lawmaker from Kano State, Abdulmumin Jibrin, over alleged manipulation of line items and figures in the 2016 Appropriation Bill.

Mr. Jibrin began working to oust Mr. Dogara from office a day after the Speaker announced his removal as chairman of Appropriation Committee on allegations that he committed serial betrayal of trust.

The sources said the SSS also sealed Mr. Jibrin’s office at Room 1.05 in the New House of Representatives building.

The development followed Mr. Jibrin’s statement on Thursday that Mr. Dogara ordered removal of workstation from the Appropriation Committee Secretariat and allegedly attempted to break into his office.

Mr. Jibrin had reportedly visited the SSS Headquarters on Friday to brief the agency about the budget padding scandal rocking the House. He also called on EFCC and ICPC to commence the investigation into the crisis with a view to prosecuting those involved.

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Buhari Reveals Names of Treasury Looters, Goes After Niger Delta Avengers

The Nation - President Muhammadu Buhari said in London yesterday that the names of corrupt Nigerians will be made public in a speech he intends to deliver on May 29.

He also said that such corrupt individuals will be prosecuted.

Besides, all those involved in blowing up oil installations and sabotaging investments in the Niger Delta region will not go unpunished.

He spoke with journalists on the sideline of  the Anti-Corruption Summit.

Buhari said that he has already directed   the Chief of Naval Staff and other service chiefs to fish out the brains  behind the attacks.

He said: “What I know is that I was elected by the whole country and the least I can do is to keep the country together somehow. I assure you we will develop the capacity to do it.

“If you can recall, the militants, I appointed a retired Brigadier General (Boroh). When I give people assignment, I develop terms of reference for them and I allow them to do their work. I understand the problem. I spoke with the Chief of Naval Staff and other service chiefs to work with him and help him to make sure that those who are blowing the installations, sabotaging investments in Nigeria, we will deal with them eventually.”

The President also said  the Federal Government is investigating allegations that it has reneged on the amnesty programme.

“They are saying that the agreement on amnesty, including payment and training and employment were not being met. These are their allegations.

“So we put this officer who is from there to revisit the agreement and get them and see which part of the agreement the Federal Government needs to fulfill.

“The fundamental thing is that we have to secure Nigeria before we can manage it efficiently. I assure you that we are going to do that. Try and develop confidence in our ability to do it eventually.”

On the killer herdsmen, Buhari said they are non-Nigerians who came into Nigeria from Libya.

His words:” because of what happened in Libya, when Ghadaffi, during his 43 year-regime, trained some people from the Sahel militarily. When his regime was overthrown, those people were dispatched to their countries. They found themselves in the Boko Haram and others.

“It is a major regional and virtually African problem now. There is one called Al Qaeda, there is Boko Haram and so on. It is a governmental project now to trace them, disarm them, try them and discipline them.”

He said the Fulani herdsmen  “culturally do not stay in one place; they move with the season.

“Normally, harvest is complete much earlier in the North. They have to go southwards for greener pasture.

“Initially, there was what they call cattle routes and grazing areas. They were marked. Infrastructures were put in terms of dams and veterinary clinics.

“Later, the big ogas that came, took over these places and turned them to farms. If we have like 500 cattle, if they do not eat for 24 hours or they want water, you can’t stop them.

“But what they used to do then, if anybody goes outside, he would be arrested, taken before a court and he is fined. If he can pay, the money is taken and given to the farmer. If he can’t pay, the cattle is sold and the farmer is paid. So, people are behaving well.

“So, when people came and took away the land for the cattle route and grazing area, you find out that from Kaduna to Bayelsa, Nigerians are fighting cattle rearers now.

“When I was in PTF, we made a comprehensive study of cattle routes and grazing areas throughout Nigeria. So, I am referring the Governors’ Forum to it and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Let them see what they can do and save the situation.”

He said: “So far, what has come out, what has been recovered in whatever currency from each ministries, departments and individuals, I intend on the 29th to speak on this because all Nigerians are getting from the mass media because of the number of people arrested either by the EFCC, DSS. But we want to make a comprehensive report on the 29th.

On whether the names of those indicted will be published, he said: “Yes, eventually, it has to be done because we want to successfully prosecute them. But you know you cannot go to the courts unless you have documents for prosecution.

“People signed for these monies into their personal accounts, their banks gave statements that the money is there, when it came, how much and so on.”

Also speaking on allegation of selective prosecution, Buhari said: “That is an accusation against the law enforcement agencies. But I assure you that we do not interfere. Try and get those who are now under arrest, you will find out it is across the board.”

On 2016 Budget implementation, he said: “It depends on the efficiency of the technocrats. Yes, we have six months to implement the budget. You know why there was a delay. There is something called padding. I have been in government since 1975. I was governor of what is now six states: Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, that used to be North East. Then I was in Obasanjo’s cabinet, Petroleum for three and a quarter years. I was Head of State for 20 months.

“I had never heard about that one padding until this year. And what does it mean? It means that the technocrats just allowed the government to make its noise, to go and make the presentation to the National Assembly. They will remove it and put in their own.

“When we uncovered this, we just had to go back to the basics again. Ministers had to go again and appear before the Minister of Budget and National Planning and make presentations again. This was clearly brought out by the Minister of Health.

“I saw with my own eyes, nobody told me. I was watching NTA and he appeared before a committee that said the minister should come and defend his budget. He looked at what was presented to him as his budget and he said he had nothing to defend, that that was not what he presented.

“Subsequently, we discovered that it was not only the ministry of health. So they allowed us to talk rubbish as government and they do what they like.”

Budget Padding Not New, A Normal Routine Crime Under Jonathan - Senator Ojudu

A former Senator from Ekiti State, Babafemi Ojudu has revealed that the budget padding which many Nigerians now see as new thing was not actually new at all, as the padding of budget was a routine crime perpetrated under former President Goodluck Jonathan without fear of been checked or exposed

Ojudu who reportedly spoke on Budget Padding Under Goodluck Jonathan said;

"In my state in 2013, they budgeted for the construction of five roads in Ekiti State and I picked up the budget, looked at the details. How could you say you are building a road in Kebbi, a town in Nasarawa State and you put it in Ekiti State? 

Apparently some groups were playing games in the ministry of works. And I shouted and cried out to the minister that, “This is wrong! This is theft!” 

They called me in and tried to pacify me but I said, “No. What you should do is, if there are roads to be constructed in Ekiti, construct them in Ekiti. If there are no roads to be constructed in Ekiti, remove these items from the budget.” 

.

"Severally things like that happened under the previous administration and had been happening, at all levels of the preparation, presentation and approval of the budget. So, the President is saying this is not going to happen. People involved are not yet used to this new way. They are still fighting. They are still kicking and they have their plans. May be you want to tell somebody with building in Dubai that he wants to complete based on what he is going to make from this budget. Everybody who is involved is angry.

That is why you are seeing these. If they absorb this new system of doing things this year, seamlessly, the budget will be passed next year without any controversy because they would have been used to this new system. So, the fact that this controversy itself is coming out is to show that there is a change in place.

.

"Under previous governments, the budget would go through the ministries and the budget office padded, then to the National Assembly and the National Assembly would also add its own padding. They would give the highlights of the budget to the president and he signed. As he was signing, they were adding more to it, and there were billions of naira free out there for people to share.

.

"But this President is saying, “No way. Whatever leaves my ministry and passed to the budget office must be the one that gets to the National Assembly and must be the one that comes to me fully without any padding before I sign.” That is change for you.

BREAKING: Buhari Sweeps Off 184 Senior Civil Over BUDGET FRAUD

VANGUARD NEWS - President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday, made good his threat to deal ruthlessly with top civil servants who altered figures in the 2016 budget thereby making nonsense of his zero budget plan.

No fewer than 184 top budget officials were flushed out of budget duties and sent to establishments that have little or nothing to do with budget, as a punishment for their roles in padding this year’s fiscal document, now before the National Assembly.

 A top official in the Budget office confirmed that 22 top officers from the Budget Office of the Federation were affected in the mass deployment. The rest were moved away from budget-related duties in other Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.

Vanguard learnt that out of the 22 top officials indicted in the budget office, four were directors on Level 17, six were deputy directors while 12 were Assistant directors. As the affected officials were moved from their posts in the Budget Office, 14 other directors said to have been ‘tested’ have been redeployed to the same office with immediate effect.

The order to remove the tainted officials from their previous posts to other duties, was conveyed to the affected offices by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, according to finding by Vanguard.

All the affected officers, according to the directive, are to report in their new locations on or before the close of work today.

When contacted, the Media Adviser to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Mr. Akpadem James, confirmed the development but declined to give further details.

It would b recalled that while in Saudi Arabia last month, President Buhari had threatened to punish all those who were involved in the padding of the budget.

Apart from removing the director of budget, he also merged the budget office with the planning ministry.