The spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Abdulrazak Namdas, says the delay in the signing of the 2016 budget is not as a result of inaction by the National Assembly but because the President is yet to be convinced to sign the document.
He spoke during our programme Sunday Politics, where he said that the document will be finalized during the week.
Mr Namdas had earlier in the week addressed newsmen informing them of the receipt of a letter from the President in which he outlined certain “grey areas” in the 2016 budget that needed to be addressed.
He added that the leadership of the National Assembly was set to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over the standoff on the 2016 budget.
Sunday Politics then sought to get an update on the situation and particularly to know the grey areas stated by the President.
Mr Namdas explained that it would amount to “jumping the gun” if he went ahead to state the grey areas, as the President was yet to make a statement on the matter since the budget controversy started.
He noted also that the House of Reps could not have made any decision without the Senate and this informed a meeting which held between both chambers during the week.
“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,” he said.
Grey Areas
Pressed further to reveal the grey areas that needed to be addressed according to the President, Mr Namdas declined.
“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,” he said.
He also assured Nigerians that issues affecting the nation cannot be handled in secrecy and they would have access to all content of the budget.
Lagos-Calabar Rail Project
Mr Namdas also cleared the air on the controversial Lagos-Calabar rail project, and the stance of the National Assembly on the issue if it emerges among the grey areas the President refereed to.
“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.”
He explained that the National Assembly has mainly been concerned about the need to follow due process in the approval of the project.
“All 360 of us have copies of this budget and there is no way a document would escape the first reading (and) escape the second reading only for us to find it at the committee level and (it is expected) of us to make use of it; that is not always the case,” he said.
