L
LequteMan
Guest
The National Assembly and the presidency are heading towards another clash over the non-release of funds for the senators' constituency projects, a report from The Nation claims.
The alleged nonchalance of the presidency towards the request is already generating anger against it among the legislators.
The lawmakers, it's said, have for months been stepping up their demand on President Buhari to order the release of all funds allocated for constituency projects according to the 2017 budget.
The lawmakers are now accusing the federal government of intentionally frustrating the execution of constituency projects.
A lawmaker speaks:
“As I speak, many of those projects are either nearing completion or half way done. Some are even yet to take off. This is as a result of the delay in funding the project last year. You will recall that they were not funded until very late in the year. And if you consider the fact that contractors have to be mobilised before they can move to site, you will understand the implication of such delays.
“Now one organization called BudgIt recently claimed that less than 40% of the projects across the country were implemented. They failed to tell Nigerians that the presidency delayed the funding of the projects because it is the legislators who identified and suggested that the projects be carried out in their constituencies. They did not tell the world that the federal government is not interested in the projects.
“But we are determined to get the project done irrespective of what the presidency and others feel. These projects are for our people who sent us here to represent them. We are not asking that monies be given to us. We are saying fund the budget so that these projects can be executed as outlines in the 2017 budget. It is wrong for anybody to delay such project since they have been appropriated for in the budget,” he said.
The alleged nonchalance of the presidency towards the request is already generating anger against it among the legislators.
The lawmakers, it's said, have for months been stepping up their demand on President Buhari to order the release of all funds allocated for constituency projects according to the 2017 budget.
The lawmakers are now accusing the federal government of intentionally frustrating the execution of constituency projects.
A lawmaker speaks:
“As I speak, many of those projects are either nearing completion or half way done. Some are even yet to take off. This is as a result of the delay in funding the project last year. You will recall that they were not funded until very late in the year. And if you consider the fact that contractors have to be mobilised before they can move to site, you will understand the implication of such delays.
“Now one organization called BudgIt recently claimed that less than 40% of the projects across the country were implemented. They failed to tell Nigerians that the presidency delayed the funding of the projects because it is the legislators who identified and suggested that the projects be carried out in their constituencies. They did not tell the world that the federal government is not interested in the projects.
“But we are determined to get the project done irrespective of what the presidency and others feel. These projects are for our people who sent us here to represent them. We are not asking that monies be given to us. We are saying fund the budget so that these projects can be executed as outlines in the 2017 budget. It is wrong for anybody to delay such project since they have been appropriated for in the budget,” he said.
