The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has expressed deep concern over the recourse of the National Assembly’s spokespersons to name calling over his observations on the 2017 Budget.

In a Press Release signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Hakeem Bello, the minister said he was worried that the National Assembly spokespersons failed to address the fundamental points about development-hindering whimsical cuts in the allocations to several vital projects under the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing as well as other ministries.

Mr. Fashola had, in a recent interview while acknowledging that legislators could contribute to budget making, disagreed with the practice where the legislative arm of government unilaterally alters the budget after putting members of the Executive through Budget Defence Sessions and Committee Hearings to the extent that some of the projects proposed would have become materially altered.

While acknowledging the need for legislative input from the representatives of the people to bring forward their developmental aspirations before and during the budget production process, the minister had observed that it amounted to a waste of tax payers money and an unnecessary distortion of orderly planning and development for all sections of the country, for lawmakers to unilaterally insert items not under the Exclusive or Concurrent lists of the Constitution like boreholes and streetlights after putting Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAS, through the process of budget defence.

Specifically with regards to the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Fashola listed the Lagos- Ibadan Expressway, the Bodo-Bonny road, the Kano-Maiduguri road, the Second Niger Bridge and the long drawn Mambilla Hydropower Project among others as those that the National Assembly materially altered the allocations in favour of scores of boreholes and primary health care centres which were never discussed during the Ministerial Budget Defence before Parliament.

In their responses, both the spokespersons of the Senate and the House of Representatives accused the minister of spreading “Half-Truths” and making “Fallacious “ statements because he (Fashola) should have known that they only interfered with projects that had concession agreements and private sector funding components. They also accused the minister of wanting to hold on to such projects in order that he may continue to award contracts.

However, while dismissing the allegations in the course of an official trip outside the country, Mr. Fashola said it was sad that the lawmakers would resort to name calling even without understanding the facts of what they were getting into. Taking the projects which the lawmakers chose to focus on one after the other, the minister insisted that there is no subsisting concession agreement on the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway adding that what the Infrastructure Construction Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has is a financing agreement from a consortium of banks which is like a loan that still has to be paid back through budgetary provisions.

There is no fallacy or half truth in the allegation that the budgets were reduced, he said. The spokespersons admitted this much and now sought to rationalise it by a concession or financing arrangement that has failed to build the road since 2006. The biggest momentum seen on the road was in 2016, Mr. Fashola added.

In the case of the Second Niger Bridge where one of the spokespersons alleged that the provision in 2016 budget was not spent and had to be returned, Mr. Fashola said that this displays very stark and worrisome gaps in knowledge of the spokesperson about the budget process he was addressing.

According to him, a budget is not cash. It is an approval of estimates of expenditure to be financed by cash from the Ministry of Finance.

“The Ministry of Finance has not yet released any cash for the Second Niger Bridge, so no money was returned.”

“Three phases of Early Works of piling and foundation was approved and financed by the previous government in the hope that a concession will finally be issued, which has not happened because concessionaires have not been able to raise finance.

“The continuation of Early Works IV could not start in May 2016 when the budget was passed because of high water level in the River Niger in the rainy season.

“The contract was only approved by the Federal Executive Council in the first quarter of 2017 and the contractor is awaiting payment.”

Dismissing the allegation that the works mnistry under him was holding on to projects that could be funded through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) so that he could award contracts as a tissue of lies, the minister said from Day One of his assumption of office, he made it clear publicly and privately that his priority would be to finish as many of the several hundreds of projects that his ministry inherited which had not been funded for close to three years.

According to Mr. Fashola, if the spokesperson was in tune with the Public Procurement Law which the National Assembly passed, he would realise that the minister has no unilateral power to award such contracts whose values are in billions of Naira, adding that all the new projects presented to the Federal Executive Council for approval were either federal roads requested by state governments or those put in the budget by the legislators to service their constituencies.

Mr. Fashola stated that the focus on contracts by the spokesperson is probably a Freudian slip that reveals his mindset and interests; when indeed he should be focused on developmental projects that strengthen the economy, which is the focus of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan endorsed by the legislature.

Also responding to the issues that the budget for the Mambila Power Project was slashed because it contained a “whooping N17 billion” for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the minister said there was indeed a mis-description of that particular Expenditure Head which could have happened during the classification of so many thousands of budget heads in the budget estimates.

According to him, what was described as a Budget Head for EIA was actually the nation’s counterpart funding to the China- EXIM loan to fund the building of the Mambila Project, adding that this was brought to his attention only after it had been slashed and that if the intention was not to slash arbitrarily it should have been brought to his attention to explain.

“At a joint meeting convened at the instance of the Budget Minister when I complained that the budget was slashed, the issue of EIA was brought to my attention and I explained what it was meant for,” Mr. Fashola said.

On the issue of the N20 billion provision in the Ministry’s Budget which the spokesperson alleged that the minister failed to give details of, Mr. Fashola said the spokesperson is hiding behind a finger.

The minister explained that it was a very basic principle of good planning to make provision for unforeseen contingencies; adding that in the 2016 budget , a similar provision enabled the ministry to respond to the failures of the Tamburawa Bridge in Sokoto, the Ijora Bridge in Lagos and the Gada Hudu Bridge in Koto Karfe along the Abuja – Lokoja Highway. Similarly, the ministry was able to pay N1 billion to the contractor handling the Suleja to Minna road.

The recent failures caused by flooding along Tegina-Mokwa-Jebba road and Tatabu in Niger State could not have been provided because they were not foreseen and there may be more. “This is what good planning is about,” Mr. Fashola said.

Noting that the Senate spokesperson missed the point in the haste to cast aspersions on him because he was not at the meetings he was speaking about, Mr. Fashola said he would have expected a more sober approach to the matter.

“In any event, allegations of half truth is only a flawed response to the constitutional and developmental issues that have plagued Nigeria from 1999 about how to budget for the critical infrastructure in Nigeria. It shows the conflict between the Executive that wants to build big Federal Highways; Bridges ; Power Plants; Rail; and Dams on one hand and Parliament that wants to do small things like bore holes, health centres , street lights and supplying grinding machines ,” he said.

According to the minister, being an institutional and not a personal issue, it won’t be out of place to seek a resolution of the conflict at the Supreme Court in order to protect the country’s future, because it is a clear conflict about how best to serve the people.

“As long as budgets planned to deliver life changing infrastructure are cut into small pieces, Nigeria will continue to have small projects that are not life changing, and big projects that have not been completed in 17 years . If a project would cost N15 billion and the contractor gets only a fraction of that, then things won’t move. Success should be defined by how many projects an administration is able to complete or set on the path of irreversible completion and not how many poorly funded contracts are awarded,” he said.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/235148-%E2%80%8E2017-budget-ignorant-fashola-blasts-senate-house-spokespersons.html

Evil men

Umuekwensu

Some people will be going to church to blame the devil and look for miracle not knowing the devil is alive and he is a minister in the zoo

The baboon will visit in helicopter and you sleep for 2/days at bridgehead

And you say we should remain in the zoo called Nigeria and keep suffering

Fools

Fashola can slay any thing!

Very brilliant and detailed response. I was particularly concerned by the allegation that the ministry returned billions of Naira meant for the second Niger bridge and it's good that the minister has now debunked that terrible lie. From my experience of how the ministry operates, I knew it was almost impossible for such a thing to happen.

The National assembly just wanted to play to the gallery and deceive gullible Nigerians with their watery attack on the minister. Hopefully, the executive will approach the supreme court and get a definite decision on the issue. It's high time this matter is settled once and for all.

Fashola, Mr know all.

Fashola Dymystified

seunmsg:
Very brilliant and detailed response. I was particularly concerned by the allegation that the ministry returned billions of Naira meant for the second Niger bridge and it's good that the minister has now debunked that terrible lie. From my experience of how the ministry operates, I knew it was almost impossible for such a thing to happen.

The National assembly just wanted to play to the gallery and deceive gullible Nigerians with their watery attack on the minister. Hopefully, the executive will approach the supreme court and get a definite decision on the issue. It's high time this matter is settled once and for all.

All dS Ones na Grammar , SeunMsG Where is yr Lord And Saviour Buhari ?

Fashola anyday anytime.. Apt and straight to the point.. No name calling, no insult or abusive rant.. National Assembly, don't mess with the Boss..

See finishing!

OVI75:


All dS Ones na Grammar , SeunMsG Where is yr Lord And Saviour Buhari ?

Comment on the subject of discussion and stop asking silly question.

God I beg grant me such eloquence in front of my enemies.

Borehole and grinding machines that should have been funded from their constituencies' allowances


Twenty years and we are still building Lagos Ibadan road. When will we ever get to other roads? Why wont some regions feel left out 50 years we still de try build new Niger bridge?

yang:
Evil men

Umuekwensu

Some people will be going to church to blame the devil and look for miracle not knowing the devil is alive and he is a minister in the zoo

The baboon will visit in helicopter and you sleep for 2/days at bridgehead

And you say we should remain in the zoo called Nigeria and keep suffering

Fools

What as what you just said got to do with anything?

‎2017 Budget: You are ignorant, Fashola blasts Senate, House spokespersons



The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has expressed deep concern over the recourse of the National Assembly’s spokespersons to name calling over his observations on the 2017 Budget.

In the case of the Second Niger Bridge where one of the spokespersons alleged that the provision in 2016 budget was not spent and had to be returned, Mr. Fashola said that this displays very stark and worrisome gaps in knowledge of the spokesperson about the budget process he was addressing.

According to him, a budget is not cash. It is an approval of estimates of expenditure to be financed by cash from the Ministry of Finance.
“The Ministry of Finance has not yet released any cash for the Second Niger Bridge, so no money was returned.”

“Three phases of Early Works of piling and foundation was approved and financed by the previous government in the hope that a concession will finally be issued, which has not happened because concessionaires have not been able to raise finance.
“The continuation of Early Works IV could not start in May 2016 when the budget was passed because of high water level in the River Niger in the rainy season.


http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/235148-%E2%80%8E2017-budget-ignorant-fashola-blasts-senate-house-spokespersons.html

Wonderful Smackdown and come back..

Mega Minister Fashola didn't disappoint.


Don't mess with Oga Fash.

Origin:
God I beg grant me such eloquence in front of my enemies.

Borehole and grinding machines that should have been funded from their constituencies' allowances


Twenty years and we are still building Lagos Ibadan road. When will we ever get to other roads? Why wont some regions feel left out 50 years we still de try build new Niger bridge?

If after 1n years of massive and almost 100% vote for the same political party and you end up with nothing, not even the bridge you were promised and you are still in love with the same people, then you really don't care about any bridge or being left behind.

For the first time, we have a credible budget for the bridge, but the greedy and crooked lawmakers slashed the budget for the bridge to increase their own salary and budget and even for borehole in their backyard at your expense, but you are not mad at them, you are not abusing them you are not insulting them, you are instead insulting and abusing FASHOLA, the same man who's trying to build the bridge, the man who fought for the budget and defended the budget for the bridge.

This is what you get when people work against themselves and their own interests all because of hatred, bitterness and self-destructive bad bele.

Obviously, they want to be left out and don't mind being left out.

But honestly though some things don't make sense. You call a minister to come defend the budget of his ministry, the minister come discussions, clarifications end explanations are made only for the NA to go back without consulting the minister and arbitrarily slash the budget. If they were going to do what pleases them why waste the minister's time in defending the budget in the first place? Shouldn't any reduction and changes be done in agreement with the minister and the budget defence? What is the purpose of struggling to defend a budget if changes will still be made without your knowledge?

Nigeria is not ready for development. When we are we'll start getting concerned about the quality of human beings we elect as Legislators. Out of the 469 of them in the Nass I usually find it difficult to count up to 10 sensible ones.
Many Nigerians are also foolish too, they hail the insensible Legislators the most simply because according to them, this govt must fail.

“In any event, allegations of half truth is only a flawed response to the constitutional and developmental issues that have plagued Nigeria from 1999 about how to budget for the critical infrastructure in Nigeria. It shows the conflict between the Executive that wants to build big Federal Highways; Bridges ; Power Plants; Rail; and Dams on one hand and Parliament that wants to do small things like bore holes, health centres , street lights and supplying grinding machines ,” he said.

NASS bunch of thieves, useless criminals

According to him, a budget is not cash. It is an approval of estimates of expenditure to be financed by cash from the Ministry of Finance.

“The Ministry of Finance has not yet released any cash for the Second Niger Bridge, so no money was returned.”

“Three phases of Early Works of piling and foundation was approved and financed by the previous government in the hope that a concession will finally be issued, which has not happened because concessionaires have not been able to raise finance.

“The continuation of Early Works IV could not start in May 2016 when the budget was passed because of high water level in the River Niger in the rainy season.

“The contract was only approved by the Federal Executive Council in the first quarter of 2017 and the contractor is awaiting payment.”

Can our clansmen and clanswomen from the East, rest their tribal liver now?


CC:
EmeeNaka
conductor2
Amarabae
rainylad
Ojiofor
Buharimustgo
durangokid

The previous tribal sentiments you all held on this debate between Fashola and the legislators, is one of the common sense reasons I support an Igbo only Biafra, where you can manage to finally lose the victim/persecution complex that is in your DNA, and the penchant to always see every national debate from a tribal perspective.

If Gov Theodore Orji demolished shops in Abia, it was because he is heartless. But if Gov Fashola demolished shops for which notices have long been given to the owners who are majorly Yoruba, the Igbo tenant concludes Fashola is not even heartless, rather he is a tribalist.

The Port Harcourt International Airport renovation that Jonathan abandoned is still yet to be completed despite having an Ikwere Amaechi as minister of Aviation. Maybe he is also tribalist against his own state as you all would have concluded if the minister was from the North or West.

olatunji21:
Fashola anyday anytime.. Apt and straight to the point.. No name calling, no insult or abusive rant.. National Assembly, don't mess with the Boss..

trying to defend fashola only showcases what you are... A tribalist , just like fashola

Fashola has just displayed the bigot in him :

You had 40 billion for Lagos - Ibadan and 12 billion for 2nd Niger bridge respectively in 2016 budget, you requested and had 26 billion released to you for Lag - Iba but did not request for a dime for 2nd Niger bridge, also, the NASS said that both projects has private partnership involvement and in your statement you said you wanted to complete all projects that you met which informed your decision to seek for total govt budgetary spending for the Lag - Iba road and you are still waiting for concessionaires to raise funding for 2nd Niger bridge.

'Expressway adding that what the Infrastructure Construction Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has is a financing agreement from a consortium of banks which is like a loan that still has to be paid back through budgetary provisions....' . The NASS was right after all, why spend the bulk of our funds on a road that you have a loan to build, it was wise for them to insist on private funding of it and spread the other funds on cluster projects that will benefit the rural dwellers which do not have alternative funding.

Thank God for the NASS that is here to checkmate the excesses of political bigots like Fashola.

zombieHUNTER:
trying to defend fashola only showcases what you are... A tribalist , just like fashola

If Tribalism would accelerate the development of our fatherland, then i am happy to be one.. Thank You and Good Morning..

Fashole give us light
We are tired of your excuses
pls resign if you are confused

StOla:




Can our clansmen and clanswomen from the East, rest their tribal liver now?

CC:
EmeeNaka
conductor2
Amarabae
Rainylad
Ojiofor

All these grammar solves nothing
Tell the minister of works SW to continue playing his tribal politics.. It's in his blood and we know his antecedents
Since Buhari became a vegetable in London the rascality and looting by his ministers stinks to the high heavens

olatunji21:

If Tribalism would accelerate the development of our yorubaland, then i am happy to be one.. Thank You and Good Morning..

fixed

yang:
Evil men

Umuekwensu

Some people will be going to church to blame the devil and look for miracle not knowing the devil is alive and he is a minister in the zoo

The baboon will visit in helicopter and you sleep for 2/days at bridgehead

And you say we should remain in the zoo called Nigeria and keep suffering

Fools

the people that brainwashed you are worst than Boko haram.he has allegations against him and he cleared himself,which ministry works without funding?.perhaps he felt it would be business as usual as when he was c in c in lagos.
next time you at least flip through the page before commenting otherwise I will sponsor a bill for your ban.

zombieHUNTER:

All these grammar solves nothing
Tell the minister of works SW to continue playing his tribal politics.. It's in his blood and we know his antecedents
Since Buhari became a vegetable in London the rascality and looting by his ministers stinks to the high heavens

He is not Igbo, so I reckon he can never be good enough for you. Continue with your persecution complex jare, I'm not the psychologist with your cure.

Fashola's response was apt and reasonable to counter the watery statement from the legislators who want to spite his works.


These sinators are the worse set of criminals currently on earth

2019 now, you will want to join them. SMH.

so soon

he has said his own while am waiting for the National assembly to come up with theirs as well


All this Govt is known for is blame and counter blame so am not surprised

I hope the claimed and admired elder role in OBJ will be shamed this time as he left a platform he would've helped developed to another platform and now the shamble is here.



So mentionias you can now come after me