The Chairman House of Representative Committee on Legislative Compliance, Abiodun Olasupo has insisted that ‘budget padding’ remains a constitutional responsibility of the legislative arm of government and as such the House of Representatives did not err in the current ‘budget padding’ controversy.
Olasupo, representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/ Iwajowa federal constituency stated this during the inspection of some his zonal intervention projects and federal government projects within his constituency on Wednesday in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State.
He said Sections 80 and 81 the Nigeria constitution, guarantees the lawmakers the Powers to alter the Budget Proposals.
The lawmaker argued that budgets presented by the executive arm of government do not often reflect true federal character hence the need for ‘padding’.
“If you look at the Nigeria Constitution, what Honourable AbdulMuminin Jibrin refer to as padding is tantamount to what the constitution defines as the function of a member of House of Representative because the constitution guarantees the three major function of making law, appropriation, and over sight.
“In appropriation it is either for us to add, subtract or change and what Hon Jibrin has been trying to say is that we are changing, inserting and adding, so if that is what he calls padding then that is what the constitution expects the house of representative to do.
“I am not saying somebody is wrong or right but I do not see what is bad in attracting projects to my constituency.
Olasupo noted that the legislature have only had an unhindered experience of 16 years when compared with the executive, appealing to Nigerians to be patient with the national assembly to get right all their lapses in no time.
Source: The Nation
Olasupo, representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/ Iwajowa federal constituency stated this during the inspection of some his zonal intervention projects and federal government projects within his constituency on Wednesday in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State.
He said Sections 80 and 81 the Nigeria constitution, guarantees the lawmakers the Powers to alter the Budget Proposals.
The lawmaker argued that budgets presented by the executive arm of government do not often reflect true federal character hence the need for ‘padding’.
“If you look at the Nigeria Constitution, what Honourable AbdulMuminin Jibrin refer to as padding is tantamount to what the constitution defines as the function of a member of House of Representative because the constitution guarantees the three major function of making law, appropriation, and over sight.
“In appropriation it is either for us to add, subtract or change and what Hon Jibrin has been trying to say is that we are changing, inserting and adding, so if that is what he calls padding then that is what the constitution expects the house of representative to do.
“I am not saying somebody is wrong or right but I do not see what is bad in attracting projects to my constituency.
Olasupo noted that the legislature have only had an unhindered experience of 16 years when compared with the executive, appealing to Nigerians to be patient with the national assembly to get right all their lapses in no time.
Source: The Nation