2018 Budget: Fayose Attacks Buhari For Blaming National Assembly

Agency ReporterJune 21, 2018

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The Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari should be ashamed that he signed the 2018 budget in June, instead of blaming the National Assembly for performing its constitutional duties.

This was as he wondered that, “The previous budgets that he agreed with the National Assembly, what did he do with them? Where are the impacts of 2016 and 2017 budgets?”

The governor described those presenting the President as the only one who is right and knowledgeable about national issues, as his greatest enemies.

He said; “In the mindset of President Buhari and his men, all Nigerians are wrong except him. That is the reason he feigned ignorance to the fact that the law did not say that the legislative arm of government must pass the budget as presented by the executive.”

In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Thursday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said, “President Buhari has become what can be termed as blame specialist who will always blame his failure on other people.

“As a military Head of State, he blamed former President Shehu Shagari’s government. Since he assumed office, he has been blaming his predecessor. And now that he can’t get an ordinary budget passed by the National Assembly for over six months, he is blaming the legislative arm. When is he going to be man enough to stop his blame game?”

The governor reminded the President of the 2016 ruling of Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja in which he declared that the National Assembly has the power to add, reduce, and review the budget, pointing out that the judge said categorically that the National Assembly can increase, or review upward, budget estimates laid before it by the executive.

“Trying to use the National Assembly as scapegoat for his failure is a disservice to the principle of separation of powers, checks and balances,” he said.

While calling on the President to govern the country and stop blaming others for his inadequacies, Fayose asked; “The budgets that the National passed in 2016 and 2017, what did he do with them? What impact did the budgets make on the lives of Nigerians?

“Why can’t the President just go ahead and implement what the National Assembly appropriated and present supplementary budget later instead of trying to label the legislative arm as the reasons for his government’s failure?”

The governor said Nigerians were tired of President Buhari’s repetitive speeches and unfulfilled promises, adding that, “The masses want the president to create jobs and make life more abundant for them.

“As at today, everything is wrong with Nigeria under President Buhari. The country is not secured as armed bandits and killer herdsmen have taken over everywhere. Nigerians are no longer free to move even within a State not to talk of from one State to another.

“Therefore, he should stop the blame game and get serious with governance so that Nigerians can at least attach one major achievement to his tenure as President.”