A former presidential spokesman, Mr Reuben Abati, has challenged the National Assembly to carry out its duties objectively and thoroughly in order to ensure a smooth process.
Mr Abati said this in reaction to the Senate’s rejection of the 2018 budget proposal presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.
The Senate had complained that the 2018 Appropriation Bill was filled with inaccuracies, inconsistencies and was being padded.
While addressing the issue during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Mr Abati opined that if indeed the budget was being ‘padded’, it was the responsibility of the Senate to un-pad it.
“The job of the Senate, even if it has been presented with a budget that has been padded, is to un-pad it because it is a proposal and from being a bill, it becomes law.
“So the question to raise is this – how diligent has the National Assembly been, before raising these issues.
“How well has it investigated this alleged padding that it is bringing up.
2018 Budget: NASS Should Play Its Roles Without Being Partisan – Abati
