Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday promised to ensure that the 2017 Budget is not padded like was done with the 2016 Budget.
He said he would never allow “rogue projects and figures” to be injected into the financial document again under his watch.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement quoted Buhari as making the promise while receiving members of the Governance Support Group led by Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“I am waiting for the 2017 Budget to be brought to us in council. Any sign of padding anywhere, I will remove it,” Buhari told his guests.
He reiterated his position that since 1975 that he has been holding public offices such as military governor, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Head or State and chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, he never heard about “budget padding” up until 2016 when he prepared his first budget as civilian President.
Buhari promised that such distortions in budget would never happen again under his watch.
The President said the government stands by its campaign promises of securing the country, reviving the economy, and fighting corruption.
He however regretted that some unnamed persons are deliberately turning blind eyes to prevailing realities in the country.
“They (the people) don’t want to reflect on the situation in which we are, economically. They want to live the same way; they simply want business as usual,” he said
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