Senate to restore Lagos-Calabar rail project -
The senate has expressed its
willingness to honour President
Muhammadu Buhari’s wish for
a Lagos-Calabar rail project,
which was left out of the original
budget and has been the subject of
controversy since the weekend.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday
after a closed-door session of the
senate, Abdullahi Sabi, spokesman of
the senate, said that the way forward
after the rail project controversy is for
the executive to submit a
supplementary budget, which would
contain the Lagos-Calabar rail project.
Sabi had said in a statement on
Monday that the item – Lagos-Calabar
rail project – was not in the original
budget, and had advised the
presidency not to set the people
against the national assembly.
“We issued that statement to clarify the
situation and not to confront or
threaten anybody,” he said at the
media briefing.
“What we issued yesterday is our
position. What we did today was to
confirm. I will definitely remain guided
by the tenets of the constitution.
“That the Lagos-Calabar project was
not in the budget does not undermine
its importance. The national assembly
is open; whenever the executive brings
the supplementary budget regarding
the project, it will be honoured.
“But we must remain guided by the
constitution. That we pass the budget
has not ended our responsibility. We
have to move to oversight functions.
“We know it is an important project
and we are ready to honour it. “The
way forward is that we have passed
budget, and we are saying bring a
supplementary appropriation bill.”
Gbenga Ashafa, the senator
representing Lagos east and chairman
of senate committee on land transport,
had admitted on Monday that the rail
project was missing from the original
budget sent by the president to the
national assembly. But he claimed
that the omission was corrected by
Rotimi Amaechi, the minister of
transportation, during the budget
defence.
The senate was so annoyed by
Amaechi’s role in the controversy that
it urged the minister to apologise for
the confusion or resign from office.
willingness to honour President
Muhammadu Buhari’s wish for
a Lagos-Calabar rail project,
which was left out of the original
budget and has been the subject of
controversy since the weekend.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday
after a closed-door session of the
senate, Abdullahi Sabi, spokesman of
the senate, said that the way forward
after the rail project controversy is for
the executive to submit a
supplementary budget, which would
contain the Lagos-Calabar rail project.
Sabi had said in a statement on
Monday that the item – Lagos-Calabar
rail project – was not in the original
budget, and had advised the
presidency not to set the people
against the national assembly.
“We issued that statement to clarify the
situation and not to confront or
threaten anybody,” he said at the
media briefing.
“What we issued yesterday is our
position. What we did today was to
confirm. I will definitely remain guided
by the tenets of the constitution.
“That the Lagos-Calabar project was
not in the budget does not undermine
its importance. The national assembly
is open; whenever the executive brings
the supplementary budget regarding
the project, it will be honoured.
“But we must remain guided by the
constitution. That we pass the budget
has not ended our responsibility. We
have to move to oversight functions.
“We know it is an important project
and we are ready to honour it. “The
way forward is that we have passed
budget, and we are saying bring a
supplementary appropriation bill.”
Gbenga Ashafa, the senator
representing Lagos east and chairman
of senate committee on land transport,
had admitted on Monday that the rail
project was missing from the original
budget sent by the president to the
national assembly. But he claimed
that the omission was corrected by
Rotimi Amaechi, the minister of
transportation, during the budget
defence.
The senate was so annoyed by
Amaechi’s role in the controversy that
it urged the minister to apologise for
the confusion or resign from office.
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