The leadership of the House of Representatives on Thursday confirmed its readiness to remove N40 billion allegedly approved for the constituency projects of principal officers of the National Assembly.
It was gathered that N60 billion in the 2016 budget proposal submitted to the joint session of the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari was jacked up to N100 billion, to accommodate the interests of the principal officers of both chambers.
From the N40 billion, the principal officers in the Senate are to get N20 billion, while the principal officers in the House of Representatives are to get N20 billion for their constituency projects and the balance of N60 billion was allocated to other lawmakers (out of the 109 Senators and 360 members).
Assuring that those irregularities have been addressed following the high-powered meeting held by the principal officers with President Buhari on Tuesday, Abdurasaq Namdas confirmed the N60 billion for execution of zonal constituency projects in the 2016 budget proposal by the executive.
“The clarification is that the 2016 budget has not been signed into law and get it from me, as the spokesman of the House of Representatives, the sum of N60 billion has been approved for us for our constituency projects. If the budget is fully signed into law and you still see it there, then you can get back to me. But I’m telling you authoritatively that the sum of N60 billion has been approved for us.
“It was not initiated by us, it was an executive thing, this is an international practice all over the world, it’s not all about Nigeria,” Namdas observed.
He also affirmed that the 2016 Appropriations bill would be signed to law by President Buhari next week, as work would be concluded by the 15-member Committee set up by the Presidency and National Assembly.
Namdas, who reacted to questions on the ongoing resolution of the crisis trailing the alleged padding of the 2016 Appropriation Bill, however noted that the monies for the constituency projects were not given as cash to members who nominated the projects and domicile it in agencies or ministries of their choice.
He added that the “money is not given as cash to members. We all know that this amount is not even N100 million anywhere. Some members like Lagos and Kano that are over twenty-something, some got N40 million, some got N50 million and you have to nominate projects of course, as members representing your constituents.
“We are allowed to nominate two projects and then you domicile it in either the ministries or agencies of your choice. It is these ministries or agencies that go ahead to give the contracts, so it is not us.”
Namdas who argued that allocation of funds for constituency was in line with international best practice, however noted that no constituency project can be executed until the 2016 appropriations bill is signed into law by President Buhari.
While reacting to the BBC Hausa report on the N100 million given to each member for constituency projects, Farouk Muhammadu who allegedly granted the interview, argued that he was misquoted by the reporter.
Muhammadu, who described the report as ‘shocking’ said: “I was shocked that they said N100m was given to all members. I was misquoted and misinterpreted. I am very sorry.”
KEHINDE AKINTOLA
