PDP asks N/Assembly to redirect Buhari’s proposed 2020 budget

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the National Assembly to redirect President Muhammadu Buhari’s proposed N10.7 trillion 2020 budget presented to it today.

The PDP, in a statement on Tuesday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, expressed fear that if not redirected, the budget would further impoverish Nigerians and mortgage the future of the nation.

The party said “the core of the budget remained hazy, showing streaks of padding, fraudulent duplications, replete with false performance indices, deceptive projections and inexplicable expenditure assertions which create openings for continued looting of our national patrimony by leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and persons close to the Presidency.”

The party insisted that it was inexcusable that despite the huge natural resources at President Buhari’s reach, he articulated a N10.7 trillion budget that was completely lacking in wealth creation strategy.

The PDP added that the budget was skewed to serve the interest of the opulent, as projects that had direct bearing on the wellbeing of the masses were not substantially accommodated in the overall expenditure profile.

“The party also criticizes the Buhari administration for not being transparent in the mammoth allocations for alleged vague projects, particularly the ministries of works and housing as well as transportation, where allegations of diversion of public funds were endemic in the last budget.

“Moreover, Mr. President failed to explain why his administration has remained hugely corrupt and how his Presidency depleted our foreign reserves to an all time low $41,852 billion, accumulated huge foreign and domestic debts and kept the Naira at its knees at about N360 to $1USD under his watch.

“The party also challenged the Presidency to make public the details of the Presidency allocation for Nigerians to see the billion being spent to finance the opulent lifestyle of the Buhari Presidency, despite Mr. President’s claims of prudence and sacrifice,” the opposition party said.