Fashola’s budget proposal failed integrity test – Reps

The House of Representatives said on Wednesday it would not
allow the nation’s resources to be unfairly distributed to the
detriment of any section of the country.

The lawmakers said the National Assembly was forced to tinker
with the 2017 budget because the proposal presented by President
Muhammadu Buhari for Ministry of Works, Power and Housing failed
integrity test as it was skewed to favour a section of the
country.

The House Spokesman, Abdulrazaq Namdas, said in a statement the
time was ripe for Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr.
Babatunde Fashola, to know that it was the duty of the National
Assembly to ensure fairness in the distribution of nation’s
resources.

He said: “We need to remind Mr. Fashola that the National
Assembly is a national institution made up of members from all
geo-political zones, they represent all tendencies, interests and
ethnic nationalities.

“It has a responsibility also to ensure balance in the
distribution of road projects and other developmental
facilities.

“It cannot watch our national patrimony unfairly skewed to one
region or a few regions to the detriment of other states and
geo-political zones.

“The proposal from Mr. President on the 2017 Budget of the
Ministry of Works, Power and Housing did not pass this test.

“This partly informed the intervention of National Assembly so
that every region can be carried along in project allocation.”

The House of Representatives said on Wednesday it would not
allow the nation’s resources to be unfairly distributed to the
detriment of any section of the country.

The lawmakers said the National Assembly was forced to tinker
with the 2017 budget because the proposal presented by President
Muhammadu Buhari for Ministry of Works, Power and Housing failed
integrity test as it was skewed to favour a section of the
country.

The House Spokesman, Abdulrazaq Namdas, said in a statement the
time was ripe for Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr.
Babatunde Fashola, to know that it was the duty of the National
Assembly to ensure fairness in the distribution of nation’s
resources.

He said: “We need to remind Mr. Fashola that the National
Assembly is a national institution made up of members from all
geo-political zones, they represent all tendencies, interests and
ethnic nationalities.

“It has a responsibility also to ensure balance in the
distribution of road projects and other developmental
facilities.

“It cannot watch our national patrimony unfairly skewed to one
region or a few regions to the detriment of other states and
geo-political zones.

“The proposal from Mr. President on the 2017 Budget of the
Ministry of Works, Power and Housing did not pass this test.

“This partly informed the intervention of National Assembly so
that every region can be carried along in project allocation.”