The Nation has reported that the Senate has given a final warning to the presidency, advising it to come clean on the budget and stop trying to cover up its errors.
In a statement issued by Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the chairman, Senate committee on media and public affairs, the Senate maintained that the said Lagos-Calabar rail project was not included in the budget proposal presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari
It came as a shock when report surfaced that the National Assembly had removed some capital projects including the Lagos to Calabar rail line from the budget and President Muhammadu Buhari refused signing the appropriation bill into law, claiming that the federal lawmakers had doctored it.
“If the Presidency expects us to return the budget proposal without any adjustments, then some people must be living in a different era and probably have not come to terms with democracy,” the Senate added.
“The antics of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, is reckless, uncalled for and dangerously divisive. Apart from setting the people of the southern part of the country against their northern compatriots, it potentially sets the people against their lawmakers from the concerned constituencies and sets the lawmakers against themselves. We, hereby, demand from Amaechi, a publicly tendered apology if he is not able to show evidence that the Lagos-Calabar road project was included in the budget. Otherwise, he should resign forthwith,” the Senate also said.