Muhammadu Buhari Set To Be Booed By Lawmakers?

As President Muhammadu Buhari stands before lawmakers to pour out figures of the 2018 appropriation bill today, November 7, 2018, he’ll be met with a very angry reception, a few legislators have said.

Constituency projects are social intervention projects which lawmakers promise to undertake during electioneering campaigns is one reason.

“Why should we clap and welcome Buhari as he reels out details of 2018 budget when he hasn’t implemented even 40 percent of the 2017 budget? Don’t you know that it is this constituency projects that will guarantee if we get re-elected into the national assembly? Buhari is frustrating our political future and he should get no mercy from us today”, one lawmaker said.

According to reports, the executive arm of government has so far released N436B for what it calls ‘priority capital projects’.

Since the 2017 budget was passed five months ago, lawmakers have received nothing for the execution of constituency projects, Pulse was told.

One unnamed senator told ThisDay that: “Forget what Udo Udoma (Minister of Budget and National Planning) and Kemi Adeosun (Minister of Finance) said during the hearing on the implementation of the 2017 budget; they said 40 percent would be implemented with 60 percent rolled over into the 2018 budget.

“But the way we are going with the push to restore the budget calendar to January-December, only 25 percent of the 2017 budget would be implemented.

“Effectively, this cuts off the zonal intervention funds appropriated for constituency projects. The 2017 budget is the budget before the campaign year, which is 2018. Many of us have nothing on the ground in our constituencies to warrant re-election.”

Another lawmaker was quoted as saying: “After I had told my people that certain projects were coming and they have clapped for me, do I go back and say the funds were not released? Buhari has been unfair to us, honestly and this is our chance to get back at him.

“Presidents are booed all over the world, so let that be our way of showing that we are displeased”.