The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has denied reports by some media outfits that key infrastructural projects were removed from the proposed 2016 budget sent to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Following the submission of the revised budget to the Presidency, reports had emanated that President Buhari would not sign the submitted document as certain parts had been restructured and modified.
The presidency was reported to have said that a N60 billion rail project from Lagos to Calabar was removed from the proposed budget while the Idu-Kaduna rail estimate was slashed.
The report however, added that Lagos-Kano rail project was left untouched.
Reacting to these turn of events, Dogara outrightly denied the existence of the Lagos-Calabar rail project as well as a removal by the National Assembly from the proposed budget.
Reacting to questions pertaining the budget on his Twitter page, Dogara said: “Barefaced lies. Where is the evidence of provision of N60b for Coastal Rail line in the budget estimate?”
“The relevant question to ask is, was it provided for in the Budget estimate sent to NASS? Who in the Presidency said so? The Presidential spokesman or Minister of information? Name the source.”
“I guess from beer parlours as any reasonable man claiming so would have given the hard evidence. Absolute rubbish. They are smart enough to demand evidence. Let them publish it if they have any.”
He further blasted the shadowy figures behind the propagation of such reports.
“Playing this North – South game is unhelpful. That’s simply the goal of the planters of this factoid. Nothing like presidency involved here. It’s a shameless falsehood meant to stir hatred. It’s most despicable.”
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