₦airaland Forum

snailspeed:
I have watched the Federal government continue to embarras themselves in what is arguably one of the biggest executive scandals in Nigeria's history. But what has really gotten my attention is their very unprofessional and downright deceptive response to the whole quagmire. It has gone from the very bizzaire to the outrightly deceitful and I feel there is a need to put the records straight, especially for future reference.

The most bizzaire response has seen the ministers outrightly deny their own ministries budget like Shaggy singing, "It wasnt me". This has written a new chapter to the country's corruption story. If the ministers didnt write those budgets, then we are in a bigger trouble than we actually think we are. It means we have a government that cannot manage themselves let alone manage 170 million Nigerians. It also means all the ministers are shockingly incompetent. It also implies that there is serious corruption going on in the ministries as we speak.

Before the government apologists try to ram it down our throats that it is those around the president that are involved, let us not fail to remind them that some of the most embarrasing corruption items in the budget came from the presidency. Yes, you heard it right! It came from the acclaimed squeaky clean, saintly PMB.

But let us get down to the real business of the day. I am really woried that even the opposition and many analysts of the budget have missed the biggest issue yet.

What is the biggest issue with the 2016 budget?

The biggest issue with the 2016 budget is this: If you go through the budget, you will suddenly realise that about 2 trillion Naira in the bugdet are made up of fraudulent and ghost line items. That means that of the over 6 trillion budget presented by Buhari, the real and credible budget is just around 4 trillion. The rest is fraud and money meant to be shared by government and party cronies. This is most alarming when you realise that about 2 trillion is going to be sourced as loan to fund the budget. That means, Nigeria is trying to source for loans to fund coruption.

We are about to take loans to fund fraud!

Somethig really twisted happened in some of the ministries in their bid to cover up their fraudulent items. When the budget was first released by the BudgtIT folks (credit to them for exposing the budget from the unset and preventing the FG from getting away with the fraud), and then withdrawn, this is what some of the ministries did.

To fix the fraudulent items in the budget, what the ministries and agencies (including the presidency) did was either:

1. Remove the fraudulent line items that have been exposed but distribute the amount from those line items among the other items. For example, Lets say a ministry budgeted 200 million for computers, 300 million for tables and 500 million for boreholes (That is a total of N1 billion). If, for example, the table budget was flagged as fraudulent, they will simply remove the table item of 300 million but share that 300 million between the computers and borehole budget. So they will return the budget with the 1 billion total unchanged, but this time, the computers budget will be 400 million and the borehole will be 600 million. This is a very shocking display of fraud and skilled corruption. If the computer budget is flagged as fraudulent, what should have simply happened is that the ministry should have removed the computer budget and returned the budget as 700 million, not 1 billion.

2. Remove the fraudulent line items and assign the value as new budget items. In this case, whole new items where inserted into the budget altogether to make up the amount removed. What is again alarming is why they must spend the funds. The concept of a budget is not to create items that must be purchased. It is not a blank check for government officials to go on a shopping spree

It is really worrisome that the Buhari government is hell bent on spending the over 6 trillion even when it is not justifiable. This is why we must reject any budget that is above 4.5 trillion Naira. Any budget that comes back from the FG that is above 4.5 trillion is definitely a crooked budget. This is also why we must insist that the FG should not borrow any funds for now as any funds borrowed to fund the budget is actually funds borrowed to line the pockets of government cronies.

Any budget that comes back from Buhari that is above 4.5 trillion if fraudulent!

I have seen some APC youths go on social media to celebrate the sacking of the DG of the budget office. Question is, what does that take away from the monumental budget fraud? Was the budget of the ministries written by the budget office. The ministers have all gone to the NASS to defend their budgets. I didnt see anyone whose budget was written by the budget office and the ministers are all walking free and laughing at the rest of us.

This is a most shameful note in the history of this country but we must continue to call out Buhari and his governance team. If we sleep for one moment, we might all wake one day to see some rich Arab sheik has bought the country and has the C of O.

psucc:
Finally a new gate has opened.
#budgetgate.

nnachukz:
I will make $1=N1. The zombies jumped up, they never cared to ask for the multiplier. Today it is clear the man meant $1=N1*10^3. or even more.

Clerverly:
Another Bad Day For The IPOB Charlatans..Their President is Jail Bound..

resty4:
Apc n lyn r twn bros.

BeeBeeOoh:
In other words, "The Body Odour No Longer Works..

shameseun:
I don't think APC needs opposition because they are doing a wonderful job in that regards.
A P Ceeee

INTROVERT:
Lies and propagandist everywhere

luvinhubby:
I volunteer to conduct a 14 deliverance prayers from the frog spirit of LYING in Lie Mohammed life.

blueto:
Lai Mohammed should be apprehended for on the charge of dissemination mendacious, calumniating and noxious information if Buhari claims to be fighting corruption!

Flexherbal:
Unpaid salaries everywhere.

The Federal Government has written to the Code of Conduct Tribunal asking for a date for the commencement of the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on charges of false assets declaration.

The letter written on behalf of the Federal Government by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), followed the February 5 judgment of the Supreme Court validating the trial of the Senate President before the CCT.

It was learnt that Jacobs sent the letter with a copy of the Supreme Court’s judgment attached to it to the Danladi Umar-led CCT on Monday.

Our correspondent did not get to see a copy of the letter, but the Head, Press and Public Relations of the CCT, Mr. Ibraheem Al-hassan, confirmed to our correspondent that the registrar of the tribunal had received it.



“I have confirmed from the registrar and he confirmed to me that Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), wrote the letter, informing the tribunal that the Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal that was stopping the trial from going on. He attached a copy of the judgment to the letter.

“The letter will be considered and a hearing notice will be issued later on.”

It is expected that the tribunal will give a date for the trial and issue hearing notices to parties to the case this week.

A seven-man panel of the apex court presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, unanimously ruled in its judgment on February 5 that Saraki’s appeal against the jurisdiction of the CCT and the competence of the charges, lacked merit.

Justice Walter Onnoghen, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed all Saraki’s seven grounds of appeal, affirming that the charges instituted against him were valid and that the tribunal was validly constituted with requisite jurisdiction to try him.

The CJN and other members of the full panel of the apex court, comprising Justices Tanko Muhammad, Sylvester Ngwuta, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Chima Nweze and Amiru Sanusi, also consented to the judgment.

The judgment of the Supreme Court terminated an earlier order of the a panel of apex court presided over by now retired Justice John Fabiyi, which had on November 12, 2015, suspended proceedings in the trial of the Senate President.

The CCT is therefore expected to issue a hearing notice for the continuation of the Senate President’s trial.

In the 13 counts initiated by the Federal Government, Saraki was said to have made false assets declaration in his forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau as a two-term governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

The Senate President, who was said to have submitted four assets declaration forms which were allegedly investigated by the CCB, was found to have “corruptly acquired many properties while in office as Governor of Kwara State but failed to declare some of them in the said forms earlier filled and submitted.”

He also allegedly made an anticipatory declaration of assets upon his assumption of office as governor, which he later acquired.

He is also accused of sending money abroad for the purchase of property in London and that he maintained an account outside Nigeria while serving as governor.

Saraki initially refused to appear before the tribunal prompting it to issue a bench warrant against him.

Saraki failed in his bid to get the Danladi Umar-led tribunal to quash the 13 counts, after he was arraigned on September 22, 2015.

obasiken:
Yes yes yes
Seize their properties.

But this anti corruption war is getting boring.
All i want to see is infrastructural development and a better economy. That is the kind of news I want to hear. Catching thieves will do little or nothing to improve the living standard of the people.

suxkill:
I dreamt that APC members are all saints.

Kyase:
You should be grateful he is fulfilling of his promises.
Back then none was ever fulfilled, or maybe we bought SHOES for him.

eagleeye2:
I am tired of always "misunderstanding" the president. Mr Garba Shehu, when will Nigerians ever understand your Principal?

Kyase:
Baba is here to fight corruption, the next president after him(prime minister fashola) will not have tough like what baba is having now.

Bugatie:
This man chop lion heart abeg

“If under a President that says he is fighting corruption, the budget of the “If under a President that says he is fighting corruption, the budget of the country got missing and we are now being told that the
budget being considered by the National Assembly has been forged,
one cannot but be afraid that there is possibility of Nigeria being
forged one day, after the original must have gone missing.” country got missing and we are now being told that the budget being considered by the National Assembly has been forged, one cannot but be afraid that there is possibility of Nigeria being forged one day, after the original must have gone missing.”

Vanquay:
It is quite clear to even the blind that these men are Rebranded Thieves...APC is the African scam of the year
I don't even understand Nigerian political parties and their mandates...no set views on public affairs, just a coalition of dullards out to rape Nigeria dry

Pavarottii:
In a saner country. People should av lost their jobs and jailed for manipulating such an important document like the budget.

Buhari is really a dullard. So such criminality can happen right under his nose and he is not even aware.

Let's watch and see, this administration will be one of the most corrupt administration after Abacha, IBB and OBJ.

Good riddance to APC!(All Past Criminals)

Iroh88:
Dust up your placards I say, or is that too much to ask of an Ipod youth?? Isn't that what you do best??

Acidosis:
Funny thing is: all the Ministries you mentioned cannot employ 5000 Nigerians in 4 years.


That's less than the number of employees in some companies in Ogun state (e.g. Nestle).


The F.G is the reason for ALL our troubles. If we continue to depend on a 73 year old retired soldier, we will all fail like NITEL.

gunuvi:
Kikikikikiki. Clowns

Iroh88:
Hey, ipod youth, some of the Goats the Ineffectual Buffoon left behind, AKA the Budget Mafia, are back to their grind but let me assure yall Wailing IPADs, they will definitely be found and out and ruthlessly dealt with.

Ready your placards because you'd need them for another round of street exercise- some of your Role Models and recalcitrant Goats are about to be served very humble pies.

Pavarottii:
In a saner country. People should av lost their jobs and jailed for manipulating such an important document like the budget.

Buhari is really a dullard. So such criminality can happen right under his nose and he is not even aware.

Let's watch and see, this administration will be one of the most corrupt administration after Abacha, IBB and OBJ.

Good riddance to APC!(All Past Criminals)