A member of the House of Representatives, James Faleke, says the delay in the passage of the 2017 budget is to avoid issues of “budget padding”.

Faleke, who spoke with newsmen after a closed-door meeting with All Progressives Congress stakeholders from Kogi State at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Monday, said the budget was ready for passage.

He said: “It is not about delay but doing the right things; if we hurriedly do it and get things wrong, Nigerians will condemn us.”

Faleke, however, said what the House tried to do was to do the needful once-and-for-all, with the budget details submitted.

The lawmaker confirmed that there was crisis in the Kogi State chapter of the APC, but declined further comment on the issue.


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He said Nigeria would have collapsed if President Muhammadu Buhari did not win the 2015 presidential election.

Faleke said: “It is true that the party will be two years in power by May 29.

“I can tell you sincerely that the country has moved forward from what we used to have.

“We have done a lot in terms of re-organising our income, especially with regards to what the Federal Government gets as revenue.

“You cannot imagine how much has been recovered from individuals. If the looting had continued, this country would have collapsed and I want to give kudos to the president for having done that.”

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Faleke added that the APC-led Federal Government was reforming the country’s economy and fighting corruption and insecurity.

He, however, admitted that there were still areas to be improved on, adding: “in governance, you cannot have it all because it is a continuous circle.


“I think we should thank God for President Buhari and his coming in at the time he did.

“Nigerians should just be patient and see the last two years of this government.”