President says no going back on anti-graft campain.
THOSE who connived to inflate the 2016 budget figures may now have an angry President Muhammadu Buhari to contend with. He vowed late Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that they would not escape punishment.

Addressing the Nigerian community in Saudi Arabia, Buhari said: “The culprits will not go unpunished. I have been a military governor, petroleum minister, military Head of State and headed the Petroleum Trust Fund. Never had I heard the words “budget padding.”

Our Minister of Budget and National Planning did a great job with his team. The minister became almost half his size during the time, working night and day to get the budget ready, only for some people to pad it.

“What he gave us was not what was finally being debated. It is very embarrassing and disappointing. We will not allow those who did it to go unpunished,” he said.

Buhari’s position in Saudi Arabia contradicted what the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, told journalists last week in Lagos.

Mohammed had said: “The total for every ministry has remained exactly the same as what was submitted to the National Assembly. A lot has been said about the budget. Let me make it clear that nobody can ever accuse this government of padding any budget.

“The total of all ministries put together has not exceeded N6.08 trillion that was submitted. It is factually incorrect to say that the budget was padded.

“This is the first time in the history of this country that a government will embark on what is called zero-based budget.“Before now, the budget system was what was called an envelope system. In an envelope system, there is no justification as to why we need N30 billion for a structure.’’

“This year, we decide that every ministry must have a zero-based budget. In other word, you must justify and explain why you need N100 billion.”

The president said that the unauthorised alterations had completely changed the document from the one he presented to the National Assembly.

The president also assured members of the Nigerian community that his administration was working diligently to fulfill its campaign promises, particularly on security, unemployment, and corruption.

Reaffirming his government’s zero tolerance for corruption, Buhari said that the war against corruption was a monumental task that he was determined to tackle successfully.

“We have zero tolerance for corruption and other unethical practices. We will deal decisively with anybody found wanting,” he promised members of the Nigerian community.

Also late Tuesday in Riyadh, the president said that his administration was fully committed to increasing the productivity of Nigeria’s agriculture and solid minerals sectors to save the nation from the harsh effects of lower crude oil prices.

He invited Saudi Arabian businessmen to invest in both sectors, noting that his administration would welcome greater foreign investment in support of its efforts to rapidly diversify the Nigerian economy.

Buhari said that Nigeria had regrettably depended too much on crude oil exports to the neglect of other resources and was now paying a harsh price for failing to diversify its economy early enough.

“With the downturn in the global prices of oil, we now have to prospect our solid minerals. We have to return to agriculture. Mining and agriculture are our hopes now. We will welcome investments in these areas. We will appreciate an in-flow of more resources and expertise to help us achieve our objective of economic diversification,” the president said.

The Chairman of the Council of the Saudi Arabian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Dr Abdulrahman Al Zamil said agriculture was a very important area of investment for its members, adding that they were already in Brazil, the United States of America and Sudan, “where we have huge farms.”

http://m.guardian.ng/news/buhari-vows-to-punish-budget-padding-culprits/

After revelations that several bogus items were 'padded' into the budget by NASS just to inflate it; the act for which Dogara, Jubrin and other principal officers are found responsible, there came pictures of Dogara and Buhari and also reported meeting between the duo just to bury the whole padding saga.
Recall also that APC also had meeting with Dogara and Jubrin and requested that they shouldn't divulge any further info to the public as far as the budget padding is concerned.

Can we say APC is truly fighting corruption?
Is President Buhari a man of his words? Having seen him eating his words several times. Now, Mr. President is about to renege on another promise to deal with budget padders, even after Dogara has publicly admitted he padded the budget, yet Mr. President and APC are sweating profusely to cover this budget padding which has made the whole budget marred with controversies, bogus item lines and corruption.
Let me refresh your memories that Dogara removed Jubrin as appropriation chairamn because of budget padding. Now after the speaker has been cornered with several evidences and allegations by Jubrin and seems he can't provide any escape route or reasonable explanations against them, Dogara has resorted running towards his safe haven in Buhari and also arrogantly coming out to tell us padding isn't a crime after he had before now sacked Jubrin for the same offence.

Each time I see pictures of Jubrin in this brouhaha, I see a man who isn't afraid and enjoys spitting everything out.
Why do Dogara and Jubrin appear so arrogant and confident in the face 'New Sheriff' Mr. President's anti-corruption war? Has Buhari's anti-corruption lost its flavour?

Does Buhari really hate corruption or it's just a fiction created by the media? The recent corruption allegations against some Buhari's cabinets members and Baba's silence or attempt to wash them off the allegations with 'progressive water' suggest the later.

Lalasticlala, please help us put this across to Mr. President as a reminder on his vow.

Thanks and God bless everyone to bless Nigeria.

Following

Are some people still taking Buhari and APC seriously?

This needs to make front page but I know they will not move it.
They thought it was Saraki, Ekweremadu and PDP that padded the budget.

Anybody that still believes this man needs a brain resuscitation..

ok

The anti-corruption slogan has gone to the Dogs.
EFCC is docile once Buhari's allies are practically involved in corruption scandal but acts when other camp is involved. From Dambazzau to Buratai, to Dogara, to Amaechi, Fayemi, Fashola and the rest. These are people against whom either petitions have been written to EFCC or very strong undeniable allegations have been levied, but Baba has never acted.

Is corruption, being the major talking point of this admin, worth it at the expense of economy sliding into recession, when the corruption isn't even being fought with utmost sincerity?

The convictions this govt may succeed to make after all the anti-corruption drama may not be different from what the past govt has also recorded because some cases will die natural deaths as soon as Baba or his anointed is involved.

A pity that there is corruption in anti-corruption.