President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration has prioritised the repair and construction of roads within the country, unlike his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, who earmarked very little for infrastructure.
Mr. Buhari said this in a speech Friday before signing the 2016 budget into law.
“To illustrate our renewed commitment to infrastructural development, the 2016 budget allocates over N200 billion to road construction as against a paltry N18 billion allocated for same purpose in the 2015 budget,” President Buhari said.
The president said his administration earmarked N350 billion for capital construction projects, with the hope that figure ill help stimulate the country’s ailing economy.
“The signing of the budget today will trigger concerted efforts to reflate the Nigerian economy, a key element of which is an immediate injection of N350bn into the economy by way of capital projects,” he said.
The 2016 budget was signed Friday afternoon after months of bickering by the executive and the National Assembly over figures and projects proposed in the document.
At the event, Mr. Buhari thanked all those who worked to make the budget a reality, including leaders of the National Assembly.
“It gives me great pleasure today to sign the first full-year budget of this administration into law. I thank the leadership of the National Assembly, in particular, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and indeed all members of the National Assembly for their cooperation in making this a reality,” Mr. Buhari said.
Foramfera
The president pledged a smoother process for the 2017 budget cycle.
“The budget is intended to signpost a renewal of our commitment to restoring the budget as a serious article of faith with the Nigerian people. This Administration is committed to ensuring that henceforth the annual appropriation bill is presented to the National Assembly in time for the passage of the Act before the beginning of the fiscal year.”
Mr. Buhari said details of the budget will be made available by the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma.
“Through the 2016 budget, aptly titled “Budget of Change’’, the government seeks to fulfil its own side of the social contract. The Budget I have signed into law provides for aggregate expenditures of N6.06trn. Further details of the approved budget, as well as our Strategic Implementation Plan for the 2016 budget, will be provided by the Honourable Minister of Budget and National Planning.
“I shall be speaking in more details about the Budget, its implementation and the over-all national economic and social policies of the Government in my address on May 29th, God willing,” Mr. Buhari said.
Mr. Buhari said his administration exercised prudence in signing the budget because of falling crude oil prices.
“In designing the 2016 budget, we made a deliberate choice to pursue an expansionary fiscal policy despite the huge decline in government revenues from crude oil exports. This is why we decided to enlarge the budget deficit at this time, to be financed principally through foreign and domestic borrowings. All borrowings will, however, be applied towards growth-enhancing capital expenditures.
“Despite the current difficulties, we will work extra-hard to achieve our revenue projections. Our revenue generating agencies are coming under better management and are being re-oriented. The implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) is expected to contribute significantly to improving transparency over government revenues.

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Budget for sometin is difrent 4rm implementin what u budget for.. It is wel

Junior66:
GEJ's budget was 4trillion naira while urs is 6trillion. At the end sha, implementation will make the difference.

mekaboy:
Who will use the roads? When people are loosing their jobs in millions, inflation on the rice, businesses collapsing and fuel will soon be increased. Hope u will give people money to buy cars and fuel it.

PPP should handle roads while more is channeled to welfare, sme and empowerment. The greatest investment is not in infrastructure but people.

The same roads without security.

Yes u budgeted more for roads than Gej but there was more jobs, investment and better economy.

You sign budget u boast and compare to Gej, when u face challenges you blame GEJ.

Boasting on a budget u dont have enough money to implement. You have already said it won't be 100% implemented. Till we see the entire 200 billion utilised.

idensko:
If GEJ was able to rehabilitate almost all d federal roads in Nigeria with 18bln

Then I think 200bln is D most padded budget item,

Oga u b MUMU Squared

U should b asking urself what d 200bln will b used 4, isn't it clear u re being played

Or u re an intentional criminal.


Is it about d amount or what u re going to use it for?

donphilopus:


Who will use the roads Nairalanders, what name should we call this guy for spewing this hocus-pocus? In March, a Minister died in Abuja-Kaduna expressway. After a month, 6 Medical Doctors or so from Ekiti still died on that spot. And just some few days back, some guys from Kano died in a road accident. Should we blame all those drivers? Are the roads good enough? Since you said we don't need road, I suggest your State Government untie all the roads leading to your community let's see how people would survive there. Think with your brain abeg!!

We also know how Jonathan empowered some Youths during his administration. Sure-P comes to mind. Who were the beneficiaries? Abeg joor. .Stop all this sh1t abeg. 2016 budget has come to stay!

mekaboy:


How many Nigerians can't afford to travel today because they have lost their source of livelihood? How many have died because they can't afford proper health care? How many Nigerians have been killed by robbers and kidnappers on the roads because of lack of employment?

How many Nigerians died in one day in agatu, enugu, jos etc ?

Nobody is saying the roads are not priority, but roads don't generate money, it is the people that use the roads that generate money. If I don't have money, business or a job, if I travel through that road a million times I am not growing the economy

PPP can handle the roads and provide jobs. We know that road contracts is the safest way to embezzlement . Contracts awarded at unimaginable rates and nobody can measure the true value. I guess that's where the APC chieftains that invested in elections will get their money back from.

donphilopus:


That was when the goats had access to our yams. It's no longer so. Now stealing is corruption! That's what we call #Change!

Bassee:
Jonathan met 5000km of motorable roads when he came in, when he left we had 25,000km of motorable roads. No be to talk nonsense be am, Buhari, shey you've budgeted 200 trillion for roads, by 2017 Nigerians go know how far.

johnmartus:
yes we heard it that jonathan met 500km of motorable road when he came on board according to unverifiable source when he left we had 25,000km of motorable roads Your claimed is a blatant lie coming from toothless party Nigeria can't Access your claims .

otokx:


Don't mind them, they always make unverifiable claims, GEJ that could not finish the dualization of the east west road in his own Bayelsa state or his wife state being Rivers State.