The Senate has denied padding the supplementary budget and also debunked the alleged appropriation of N70billion as a ‘gift’ for members of the federal legislative body.
The Upper Chamber of the National Assembly further clarified that the passage of the Supplementary Appropriation Act was part of the constitutional duties of the Senate.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, stated these in a release, today.
The release was a reaction to the alleged padding of the Supplementary Budget and the N70billion ‘gift’ for the lawmakers, as reported in some sections of the media.
Adaramodu said the Senate was not ready to join issues with those he described as mischief-makers who alleged that the recently appropriated N70billion for the National Assembly was a gift from the Executive.
He added that the passage of the Supplementary Budget was to accommodate funding for the palliatives by the Federal Government for the Nigerian public, among other national demands.
Senator Adaramodu further said the N70billion appropriated for the National Assembly was not for the legislators but for sundry repairs of their “suites, offices and general structure of the National Assembly Complex”.
“After the passage of the Supplementary Budget to accommodate funding for Federal Government’ Palliative for the Nigerian public, among other urgent national demands, the socio-political space has been inundated with spurious, inaccurate and irreverent misinterpretations.
“Suffice to say that the passage of the Supplementary Budget is part of the absolute constitutional duty of the Senate.
“We would therefore, not wish to join issues with the mischief and misrepresentation that a portion of the just-passed Amendment Act that appropriated N70billion was a ‘gift’ to the legislators,” Adaramodu stated.
He further stressed that “a visit to the suites, offices and the general structures of the National Assembly Complex would reveal a yawning need for exigent attention.
“Many senators had to bring their chairs, tables and electronics and, in many cases, do sundry repairs.
“The so-much debated allocation will not be paid to any legislator. This will be managed by the National Assembly Bureaucracy.
“It is pertinent to also note that the National Assembly Complex does not house only the legislators.
“There are thousands of workers and service providers whose working environment need a face-lift, and/with necessary tools.
“Since the Assembly Complex is not owned by legislators who are merely political birds of passage, such allocation cannot be termed by anyone as a palliative to the legislators.
“The alleged padding of the palliative Supplementary Budget by the National Assembly only exists in the minds of those who are all out to discredit the 10th Assembly.
“There is nothing like padding as being alleged in some misinformed media outfits.
“We wish to urge fellow compatriots to see the National Assembly as partners in the progress of Nigeria. The National Assembly is the soul of democracy.
“The 10th Senate shall join hands with other arms of government and our forward-looking Nigerians to sing new songs of progress, development, safety and all-round economic recovery and growth,” Senator Adaramodu added.
