Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has refuted reports that the National Assembly removed the Lagos-Calabar Railway line project from the 2016 budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Jibrin who represents Kano in the House of Assembly challenged the Nigerian Presidency to tell Nigerians where the project was included in the budget. He took to micro-blogging website, Twitter on Sunday, April 10, 2016 to refute the claims of the Presidency over the removal of the Lagos-Calabar Railway line project from the budget.
He confirmed that N54 billion from the transportation budget was re-allocated to projects in the North. He however claimed that the money was never allocated to the Lagos-Calabar Railway project but was “unallocated” in the budget.
According to Jibrin, N39.7 billion was allocated to the Lagos-Kano Railway Project, N10 billion assigned to airport navigation security, and N10 billion assigned to Baro Ports in Niger State. So there is truth in the ThisDay report that the said funds were taken from the budget and re-allocated to Northern projects.
Lagos-Calabar Railway line was NEVER captured in the budget that was sent by the Executive. How then could it have been removed by NASS?
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
I actually find it shocking that even some National Dailies made the removal their headlines. A little research would would have helped.
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
All they, and those spreading the false information needed to have done is check the initial document sent by the Executive.
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
Lagos-Calabar Rail was never included. How could NASS have removed what was not there? But the nation is being misled.
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
The NASS has always been on the receiving end of bad press. This is being capitalised on in the conversations on #Budget2016
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
This is unfortunate as it is quite clear to all and sundry that #Budget2016 and all its headaches and controversies didn’t emanate from NASS
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
Take the budget of the ministry of Transportation was overshot by N54b. That is, by the time you add up the items on the ministry’s budget..
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
…you’d still have a gap of N54b. N54billion lying there without being allocated. NASS has a responsibility and here it did the right thing
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
What NASS did with the N54billion; We added N39.7b to the Lagos-Kano Rail project. This will help complete the project once and for all.
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
We also allocated N10b of this sum to the airports’ navigation and security apparatus.
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
We often make so much noise about airport security after major plane crashes. But we need not wait for crashes to enhance safety at airports
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
We allocated the balance to Baro Ports for its completion and equipping. Baro Port is strategic to our economic development.
— Abdulmumin Jibrin (@AbdulAbmJ) April 10, 2016
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