Rumblings
over whereabouts of the 2016 Budget proposal of the Federal Government in the
Senate came to a climax yesterday as the Senate accused the Senior Special
Assistant to the President (Senate), Senator Ita Enang of doctoring and
circulating fake copies of the budget proposals.
In
defence of its integrity, the Senate vowed not to work on the fake proposals
allegedly circulated by Enang until it receives an electronic copy of the
budget document which will be reproduced for senators.
It was learnt yesterday that the same alteration of the budget document was done
in the House of Representatives, but House officials were quick to intercept
the doctoring and insist on the circulation of the original proposals as
submitted by the President.
Circumstances
around the budget document became an issue last Tuesday when it emerged that
the proposal as submitted by the President could no longer be traced. The
discovery prompted the Senate into a closed-door session following which the
Senate Committee on Ethics was mandated to investigate the issue. The issue
also led the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki to meet with
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday afternoon.
Senator
Saraki yesterday confirmed the doctoring of the budget proposals by Enang at
the end of deliberations on the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics and
Public Petitions on the issue. Saraki added that the available hard copy of the
budget presented to the Senate was different from the one laid before the two
chambers of the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari, shortly before
both chambers embarked on Yuletide break last December. Senate officials,
however, shied away from pointing out the differences between the two copies
yesterday.
Senator
Saraki nevertheless, said the report of the committee fingered the Senior
Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate),
Senator Enang, for the act. He said the Senate would as such suspend its
initial plan to begin consideration of the 2016 appropriation bill until the
Presidency submits the soft copy of the original budget that was laid before
the two chambers of the legislature. His words:
“We have
received the report of the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions
on investigations surrounding 2016 Appropriation Bill. Our finding is that
Senator Ita Enang, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National
Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang printed copies of the 2016 Appropriation
Bill and brought to the Senate.
“We have
discovered that what he brought is different from the version presented by Mr
President. We have resolved to consider only the version presented by Mr
President as soon as we receive soft copy of the original document from the
executive.”
‘Budget
not missing’
But briefing newsmen, after the day’s plenary, Senate spokesperson, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, said, “The report about a missing budget is not true. We don’t have a budget that is missing. But you recall that the Senate President did inform Nigerians that there is an issue that a committee was asked to investigate. The investigation by the committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, has been submitted in the executive session. It was a decision we took at the last executive session.
“Our
findings are these: That Mr. President did lay the budget before the joint
session of the National Assembly and thereafter, the Senate went on recess and
upon resumption, copies of the document were produced by Senator Ita Enang, who
is the SSA to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) and the
copies were submitted to the Senate and House of Representatives.
“What we
found out is that the document submitted by Senator Ita Enang, upon our
resumption, has some differences, discrepancies with what was originally laid
by Mr. President in the joint sitting of the National Assembly.
“However,
the Senate in defence of its own integrity, honour, will not work with what has
not been laid on the floor of the National Assembly. We are constitutionally
mandated and duty bound to consider only that budget that had been so laid by
Mr President.
“Right
now, for reproduction, we are awaiting the soft copy of the originally
submitted budget so that the National Assembly can reproduce the copy itself.
That is the only time we can have confidence in the document we want to work
with.
“The
budget submitted by the President is not missing; we already have copies of it
but what we are saying is that for us to reproduce for our members, it is
easier, based on the quantum of document that has to be produced, that we get
the soft copy of that original version so that we can reproduce it. ‘“
He
disclosed that the Senate has fixed Tuesday, next week to discuss the budget,
saying copies of the document would be circulated to senators when the soft
copy demanded from the presidency was received.
“By next
week, we want to go down to business, senators have picked dates to speak
during the three days set aside for debate on the 2016 budget.
“The
Senate leadership was mandated to speak with all those concerned with the
document, that was why the Senate President was in touch with Mr President.”
Abdullahi
refused to speak on the claims by the House of Representatives that it had its
own original version of the document.
“I am not
in the position to say the differences between the document submitted by the
President and the one brought by Ita Enang. The committee that investigated the
issue did not include that in their report.
“As at
the time the Senate President promised to make copies available to senators
today (Thursday), he was working on the assumption that what was brought by the
executive were copies of the original copies submitted by Mr President, but
based on the outcry, it was discovered that there is another version different
from what the President gave us,” he said.
Meanwhile,
Senator Enang, who is at the centre of the development, has refused to comment
on the level of his involvement, as alleged by the Senate.
Enang
told journalists who sought his view on the matter that he would not join
issues with senators.
“I have
chosen not to comment on this issue for personal reasons.
‘’We must
work together to make the Senate as an institution to grow. The President is my
boss and the senators are my bosses. I won’t join issues with them. So, let the
whole matter remain as it is”, he said.
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