*Lagos-Calabar N60 billion coastal railway removed
*Idu-Kaduna rail line cut by N8.7 billion
*Major federal roads slashed
*Polio eradication, essential drugs for HIV/AIDS expunged
*Agric/water resources re-allocated to constituency projects

By Soni Daniel

President Muhammadu Buhari appears set to return the 2016 Budget to the National Assembly to rework because what the lawmakers sent to him on Thursday for assent, according to Presidency sources, fell below his expectations.

By implication, Buhari will not sign the Appropriation Bill into law, as earlier planned, before jetting out of the country this weekend to China for economic and business deals for Nigeria.

The sources confirmed to Sunday Vanguard that the President felt disappointed that provisions for major national projects and programmes that could turn around the economy were either outrightly removed or funds for them ridiculously slashed by the lawmakers.

It will be recalled that, in a bid to urgently assent to the bill, which was transmitted to him on Thursday, the Presidency had convened an emergency Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Friday where the document was distributed to Ministers to review as it affected their respective ministries, departments and agencies.

At the review meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is the Head of the Economic Team, it was discovered that many strategic projects were either removed or provisions made for them significantly slashed to the point that made a mockery of the projects.


Among the key projects removed from the budget by the lawmakers are the all-important Calabar-Lagos coastal rail line for which Buhari had made a provision of N60 billion in the 2016 estimates.

Incidentally, the railway project is one of the key issues taking Buhari to China.

While that was removed, the lawmakers left the Kano/Lagos railway project untouched but also went ahead to reduce the amount set aside for the completion of the Idu/Kaduna railway project, which has reached an advanced stage of completion, by N8.7 billion.

A top government official, who was privy to the fiscal document, summed the discoveries in the budget that shocked Buhari this way: “At the meeting, it was noticed that some very key aspects of the budget, which have to do with government’s core infrastructural focus, were removed. One of the projects is the subject of the President’s trip to China – the Lagos/ Calabar coastal railway project – for which a counterpart funding of N60bn was provided, but which was completely removed by the National Assembly.

“The executive is working on two major rail arteries, among other rail projects, to service the northern and eastern parts of the country – the Lagos/Kano line and the Calabar/Lagos line. While the Lagos-Kano provision was left untouched, the Calabar/ Lagos line was removed. The projects are to be funded jointly by governments of China and Nigeria. It is one of the main reasons for the President’s scheduled trip to China.

“Also, the amount proposed for the completion of the Idu/Kaduna rail project which has reached an advanced stage, was reduced by N8.7bn, a development which will make it difficult for the project to be completed”.

The source added that another fundamental area noticed in the document was the completion of on-going road projects.

It was learnt that while the executive had provided for the completion of all major road projects across the country, the National Assembly reduced the amounts provided and instead included new roads which studies have not even been conducted.


The source lamented: “The amounts provided by the National Assembly for the projects can neither complete the on-going road projects nor the new ones proposed. At the end of the year, no progress would have been made”.

According to the source, a top Presidency official, allocations for the purchase of essential drugs for major health campaigns like polio and AIDS for which the store is fast depleting, were removed and the amounts allocated to provision of ambulance, which the health ministry did not ask for.

“It was also observed that certain provisions made in the areas of agriculture and water resources to further the Federal Government’s diversification project were either removed or reduced while the funds were moved to provisions of rural health facilities and boreholes, for which provisions have been made elsewhere,” the official said.

“The President is desirous of signing the Bill into law so that implementation of the provisions could begin in earnest for the benefit of the people. That is why the moment he received the document on Thursday, a meeting was convened for Friday to immediately start work on it”, the source concluded.

aresa:
Why sabotage your own country's progress because of greed and petty politics?


PDP is a sad burden on Nigeria..

aresa:
Why sabotage your own country's progress because of greed and petty politics?


PDP is a sad burden on Nigeria..

americanigga:
It is very shameful that there are senators and house of rep. members there representing the people of the south, yet before their very eyes the N60 billion that was earmarked for railway from lagos to calabar was removed while that of Lagos to Kano scale thru.

I don't blame the members of house of assembly from the south since most of them are PDP. When it comes to rigging elections, collecting bribe they are very smart but when it comes to engaging their nothern counterpart in serious national issues they are very timid. Everyday you see senators like Ekweremadu, Urogide(edo state) and other PDP senators following saraki to the CCT. One would have expected them to use the closeness to the senate president to lobby so that they can attract federal presence to the south, but the reverse is always the case. Shame on Ekweremadu, shame on PDP, shame on southern senators and house of rep members.

AntiWailer:


It is a useless Party empowered by ignorant masses.

Trut:


What concerns PDP in this matter? The National Assembly is dominated by APC party men.

BossWike:
Why close my thread for this?

You won election by propaganda and u want to rule by same, it is impossible!

Buhari is a clown dullard so with his supporting zombies on NL

fyneguy:
Incredible!

So Southern Senators were there when this was done, right?

Kudos to Buhari for ''belonging to everybody''

amaechi1:


who looses? Lagos-kano kept. Calabar-lagos removed (Imagine the corridor: Calabar-Abia-Imo-Delta-ondo-Ogun-lagos)

aresa:
Why sabotage your own country's progress because of greed and petty politics?


PDP is a sad burden on Nigeria..

fitzmayowa:
2 weeks don go for april and nigerians never know where this government is leading us to...SMH

egalitarian78:
Who are they deceiving? To tell me dat PMB will decline signing d budget cos of dividend of democracy due to a SS area of Calabar is a white lie aimed at setting up d natnl assembly against d masses, make Bubu appear as pan-Nigerian and as usual shift dia usual blame game to d doors of d legislators since Gej blame transfer strategy is not working any longer. This same budget FEC review dat he refused to attend is now this important. For God's sake d lifeline people have been hoping dat cud jumpstart the restoration of d economy is d signing into law of this budget but that appears to v ran into troubled murky waters of politics. These guys are really insensitive, kakistocratic and directionless. What happened to sending supplementary budget for any gray areas while implementing d ones dat are well appropriated. Obj u see ur advice dat he can run without budget till June?. If d budget is being suspended cos of this then d Bubu travel to China shd be put on hold till it is sorted out but alas d junketeer will be off this morning. If d natnl assembly shd be alive and active they must not approve everything sent to her lest they become rubber stamp. No sane Nigerian will support any action dat will push d country into foreign debt again . It is most painful dat most of us are extremely resilient, fanatically docile and annoyingly cowardly. In saner climes, 'Occupy Nigeria ' shd v been a daily routine now but we r all here bashing ourselves. Shame

fitzmayowa:



The National Assembly is controlled by APC how come you are blaming PDP for this Enough of the blame game already...

11 months down the drain we are still battling with the issue of budget, i wonder when this administration is going to get it right...SMH

Jombojombo:

There must be a reason for that, after all that is a new route

The two major rail lines we have are not even working yet and they want to creat a new one, does that make sense to you?

NASS advice to the dullard must have been for him to get the two major rail lines (Lagos-Kano & PH-Maiduguri) working first before thinking of a new one. Everything must not be for political gains! Am sure this was the reason why Osinbajo said GEJ did not construct new road. Why will you construct a new road when the ones you have are not working yet?
People with shallow brain full this govt sha