2016 Budget: Mass sack looms at government’s parastatals and agencies

– A presidency source has revealed that heads will roll over the muddled up 2016 budget

– The chairmen of the appropriation committees in the Senate and House of Reps may be removed

– Presidency says Buhari will not walk into the trap of the Senate

Following the controversy created by the 2016 budget, a mass sack of heads of government’s parastatals and agencies looms as presidency begins investigation into the budget padding controversy.

According to the Punch, some top shots were suspected to have colluded with some members of the National Assembly to produce a budget that would be difficult to implement.

The presidency source also said the budget passed by the National Assembly was meant to frustrate Buhari for his decision to be neutral in the current trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged false declaration of assets.

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“The executive is investigating the level of complicity of heads of parastatals, who are suspected to have colluded with the National Assembly. Heads may roll because we see it as sabotage,” he said.

On why the president has refused to sign the appropriation bill, the source was quoted to have said: “It is dangerous for the President to sign now and negotiate later. The lawmakers may turn round later to accuse him of non-implementation of the budget and begin the process of removing him from office.”

Others who may get the marching boot are the chairmen of the appropriation committees in the Senate and House of Reps, Senator Danjuma Goje and Mr Abdulmumin Jibrin respectively.

A Senate source said both men might be removed from the committees this week over their alleged poor handling of the situation as the leadership of both the Senate and House of Representatives were no longer comfortable with the tension and anxiety that the issue had continued to generate.

“We have reports that both Goje and Jibrin, in most cases, sat and carried out unilateral decisions on the budget and even sometimes invite heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies for briefings without involving the chairmen of the respected committees in charge of the MDAs.

“Obviously, we in the leadership of the National Assembly are convinced that both Goje and Jibrin have personal issues which they wanted to exhibit through the budget process. People have even drawn our attention to their public statements in recent times.

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“First, it was Goje, who condemned the inclusion of N500bn welfare scheme of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government in the 2016 budget, describing it as ‘unimplementable’ and therefore called for its suspension till next year.

“We also watched Jibrin on national television this morning (Monday), calling the executive  liars, who prepared ‘unimplementable’ budget, yet had the audacity to blame the legislature for their inefficiency.

“We are convinced that the two appropriation heads are on the verge of setting the executive and the legislature on a serious collision course and we would have to stop that before it happens.”

Recall that the Nigerian senate has advised the Presidency to come clean with Nigerians on the 2016 Budget and stop engaging in surreptitious campaigns of calumny against the Senate in order to cover up its serial errors.

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