₦airaland Forum

We always knew that minister for power, works and housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, is capable of swinging ‘em punches.
But boy, who knew that the former Governor of Lagos can take on a national assembly packed full with 469 fire-belching Nigerians?

It all began after the executive retrieved the 2017 budget from the legislature.

To Fashola’s dismay, the budget for his ministry had been slashed by lawmakers.

So, we grabbed us a bag full of popcorns like you did and took a seat ringside; as Fashola and the national assembly took turns to throw and duck punches.

We love us a good ol' duel on rainy days--mud and all. 


Power, works and housing minister, Fashola  (Punch)
We’ll let you be the umpire and decide who threw a better punch after each round.

You are at perfect liberty to score either fighter on a scale of 1-10 in each round.

ROUND 1

Fashola: “Everybody is complaining about power supply but they (national assembly) also cut the budget for Mambila power project and the Bodo Bridge that connects the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Station.

“If after we have defended the budget and we have gone and the legislature unilaterally changed the budget, what is the purpose of deliberation?’

“What I have in my budget now is primary health care centres, boreholes.

“We were asked to complete those abandoned projects; the budget of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was reduced by the National Assembly from N31bn to N10bn.

“We owe the contractors about N15bn and they have written to us that they are going to shut down.


Abdulrazak Namdas  (TheCable)
“Also, the budget of the 2nd Niger bridge was reduced from N15bn to N10bn  and about N3bn or so was removed from the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja road budget.

“I am not saying that the legislature cannot contribute to the budget, but I hold the view that it cannot increase the budget because they do not collect the revenue with which to run or implement the budget.”

************

National Assembly through House of Reps spokesperson, Abdulrazak Namdas: “We could not watch the country’s patrimony being unfairly skewed to one region or a few regions to the detriment of other States and geo-political zones.

"We need to remind Mr. Fashola that the national assembly is a national institution made up of members from all geo-political zones, they represent all tendencies, interests and ethnic nationalities.


“It has a responsibility also to ensure balance in the distribution of road projects and other developmental facilities.

“The proposal from Mr. President on the 2017 budget of the ministry of works, power and housing did not pass this test! This partly informed the intervention of National Assembly so that every region can be carried along in project allocation".


House of Reps  (venturesafrica)
Who won this round?

***********

ROUND 2

National Assembly through senator Danjuma Goje: “Fashola should know that he is dealing with the national assembly of Nigeria and not Lagos State House of Assembly.

“This assembly is composed of very patriotic and experienced Nigerians. Many have done this job before him. Many were Governors before him. The ministry is too big; the ministry comprises works, housing and power.


Danjuma Goje  (Punch)
“If the job is too much for him, if he cannot adjust, then he should do the honourable and needful thing. No amount of blackmail or propaganda by him will stop this national assembly from doing its duties in accordance with the provision of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria”.

*******

Fashola: "I think, first, that Goje’s language is unparliamentary and therefore not deserving of a reply.

"I need a better budget as a tool to do my work and that is why l am speaking out.

"In this context, it is left for Nigerians to then decide whether budgeting for constituency roads is more patriotic than budgeting to complete the Kano-Maiduguri Road that connects five states, the Lagos-Ibadan Road that connects three states and helps to move food, imported goods and fuel across the country; or the second Niger Bridge that connects the South-East and the South-West geopolitical zones of at least 11 states together.


Fashola interacts with stakeholders  (Min of PWH)
"I will also leave Nigerians to judge whether it is more patriotic to budget for the Mambilla Power Project that will contribute to more power supply across Nigeria or reduce the budget to build street lights in legislative constituencies.

“It seems that it is Goje who needs a behavioural prescription about legislative function.

“Let me reiterate that I see parliament as a house where very vigorous debates about development should take place and it is important for Goje to acquire the temperament of debate and disagreement".

********

In your estimation, who won round two?

Ok, let's cut to the chase: who won both rounds overall?


http://www.pulse.ng/local/who-won-the-fight-between-fashola-and-national-assembly-id6960862.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily-2017-07-08&utm_term=newsletter%20daily

Dunno oo

Maybe we should ask lai.

I am going to NASS to check for you

This issues raised by Fashola are plain to understand. Nigerians should not allow the corrupt national assembly to hoodwink us with noise, they should counter Fashola's claim.

Make I Pak for here.


BTW


Fashola for me won both rounds because he has proven himself capable of doing the Job, but these legislooters will not allow him take all the money to do the job instead they hide under the auspices of constituency projects and claim a high cut of the money.


verdict:

FASH 2 vs NASS 0

Fashola won on both grounds...

The NASS is filled with pooh..

They are dishonourable members

Their recall is iminient

kitaatita:
The losers are the Southern part of Nigeria. National Assembly is cutting budget for infrastructure in the South because they don't like Fashola. Last year they removed Railway project in the South to make Amaechi look incompetent. This year my Igbo brother in the National Assembly allowed budgets on the second Niger Bridge to be cut because they want Buhari to fail.

The National assembly where majority are northerners?
There might be a good point you're making, but it's not totally clear
They want PMB to fail?
They wwant to stop major infrastructures from getting to the Southerners?
They don't like Fashola?

REDshouse:
Fashola won on both grounds...

The NASS is filled with pooh..

They are dishonourable members

Their recall is iminient

Now that a new warhead called 're-call' has been tested...

to be honest we are the losers,we are not developing --actually we are retrogressing at an alarming rate.

but to the point of the thread.

fashola won both rounds --isn't it amazing that dullard goje couldn't respond to fash...

the house of disassembly is just a house full of maggots and poohh...they really need to be given the samuel doe treatment one by one

989900:
GBAM!
To second the other commenter, we 'the people' are the greatest losers -- the northerners too (shame on those who come on here and make comments based on sentiments)!
Since padding is becoming cumbersome, they are trying to take by force a.k.a daylight armed robbery!

I wonder why the NASS should even cost us what they cost to run in the first place.

What can the people do?

REDshouse:
Fashola won on both grounds...

The NASS is filled with pooh..

They are dishonourable members

Their recall is iminient

Fashola is a thief, he wants to steal our oil money to develop Lagos roads. thunder break him afonja neck there

The National assembly is full of unemployable and useless human beings.
One of the very reason why I want this country to be dismantle. I have no control over the people elected from other regions