Senate President Ahmad Lawan has explained why the National Assembly adjusted the content of the 2022 national budget presented by the executive arm to the legislators.
According to Lawan, there is nothing to be worried about regarding the changes made by the lawmakers to the budget.
Naija News recalls President Muhammadu Buhari had slammed the National Assembly over the alterations made to the 2022 budget.
Speaking after assenting to the budget on Friday, the Nigerian leader expressed deep concern at some of the worrisome changes made by the National Assembly to the document.
He also carpeted the federal lawmakers for reducing the funds allocated to some critical projects and adding 6,576 projects of their own to the bill.
The President said the legislature reduced N12.6 billion in the Ministry of Transport’s budget for the ongoing rail modernization projects; N25.8 billion from Power sector Reform Programme under the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National planning and N14.5 billion from several projects of the Ministry of Agriculture.
But speaking with State House correspondents after the N17.126trn budget was signed, Lawan while commenting on the President’s reservation said there’s nothing worrisome in what the lawmakers did.
He said they took the decision based on judgment and analysis of the budget figures.
According to him, it is not a “worrisome development for us”.
“This is based on judgments when we asked for more resources coming from the independent sources, especially from the government owned enterprises of about N400 to N500 billion because we believe that these government owned enterprises should contribute even much more,” he said.
“In fact, I hold the opinion that they should have contributed about a trillion, at least not N500 billion or so.”
Lawan also praised the cordial relationship between the legislative arm of government and the executive arm which he said has resulted in better delivery of developmental projects to Nigerians.
“The secret is cooperation, partnership, synergy, and that understanding and mutual respect,” the senate president said.
“Nigeria is benefiting from that kind of relationship. So that is what, in my judgment and opinion works for us, to be passing the budget at the time, that will always feel is the appropriate time before the end of the year.
“Mr. President, congratulations to him for signing the 2022 appropriation bill today, even though today is the last day of the year. But we have achieved that very significant important date of signing before the end of the year.
“The reality is what I have observed, the ability of the federal government to have his budget passed and signed before the end of the year, has made so many states to also work towards achieving that.”
This article was originally published on Naija News