*Lagos-Calabar N60 billion coastal railway removed
*Idu-Kaduna rail line cut by N8.7 billion
*Major federal roads slashed
*Polio eradication, essential drugs for HIV/AIDS
expunged
*Agric/water resources re-allocated to constituency
projects.

President Muhammadu Buhari appears set to return
the 2016 Budget to the National Assembly to
rework because what the lawmakers sent to him on
Thursday for assent, according to Presidency
sources, fell below his expectations.
By implication, Buhari will not sign the
Appropriation Bill into law, as earlier planned, before
jetting out of the country this weekend to China for
economic and business deals for Nigeria.
The sources confirmed to Sunday Vanguard that the
President felt disappointed that provisions for major
national projects and programmes that could turn
around the economy were either outrightly removed
or funds for them ridiculously slashed by the
lawmakers.
It will be recalled that, in a bid to urgently assent to
the bill, which was transmitted to him on Thursday,
the Presidency had convened an emergency Federal
Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Friday where
the document was distributed to Ministers to review
as it affected their respective ministries,
departments and agencies.
At the review meeting presided over by Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo, who is the Head of the
Economic Team, it was discovered that many
strategic projects were either removed or provisions
made for them significantly slashed to the point that
made a mockery of the projects.
Among the key projects removed from the budget
by the lawmakers are the all-important Calabar-
Lagos coastal rail line for which Buhari had made a
provision of N60 billion in the 2016 estimates.
Incidentally, the railway project is one of the key
issues taking Buhari to China.
While that was removed, the lawmakers left the
Kano/Lagos railway project untouched but also went
ahead to reduce the amount set aside for the
completion of the Idu/Kaduna railway project, which
has reached an advanced stage of completion, by
N8.7 billion.
A top government official, who was privy to the
fiscal document, summed the discoveries in the
budget that shocked Buhari this way: “At the
meeting, it was noticed that some very key aspects
of the budget, which have to do with government’s
core infrastructural focus, were removed. One of the
projects is the subject of the President’s trip to
China – the Lagos/ Calabar coastal railway project -
for which a counterpart funding of N60bn was
provided, but which was completely removed by the
National Assembly.
“The executive is working on two major rail arteries,
among other rail projects, to service the northern
and eastern parts of the country – the Lagos/Kano
line and the Calabar/Lagos line. While the Lagos-
Kano provision was left untouched, the Calabar/
Lagos line was removed. The projects are to be
funded jointly by governments of China and Nigeria.
It is one of the main reasons for the President’s
scheduled trip to China.
“Also, the amount proposed for the completion of
the Idu/Kaduna rail project which has reached an
advanced stage, was reduced by N8.7bn, a
development which will make it difficult for the
project to be completed”.
The source added that another fundamental area
noticed in the document was the completion of on-
going road projects.
It was learnt that while the executive had provided
for the completion of all major road projects across
the country, the National Assembly reduced the
amounts provided and instead included new roads
which studies have not even been conducted.
The source lamented: “The amounts provided by
the National Assembly for the projects can neither
complete the on-going road projects nor the new
ones proposed. At the end of the year, no progress
would have been made”.
According to the source, a top Presidency official,
allocations for the purchase of essential drugs for
major health campaigns like polio and AIDS for
which the store is fast depleting, were removed and
the amounts allocated to provision of ambulance,
which the health ministry did not ask for.
“It was also observed that certain provisions made
in the areas of agriculture and water resources to
further the Federal Government’s diversification
project were either removed or reduced while the
funds were moved to provisions of rural health
facilities and boreholes, for which provisions have
been made elsewhere,” the official said.
“The President is desirous of signing the Bill into
law so that implementation of the provisions could
begin in earnest for the benefit of the people. That
is why the moment he received the document on
Thursday, a meeting was convened for Friday to
immediately start work on it”, the source concluded.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/missing-projects-buhari-return-2016-budget-nass/

One whole quarter gone and these men had not found footing.

What if those observations are being sent in as supplementary budget? Can't we for once take the plight of the common man into consideration?

This APC led govt seems to b taking Nigerians for a ride.ordinary appointment of ministers takes 6 months,now dis disgraceful budget drama seems unending.by d anniversary of this govt, it would go down in history as the worst Nigerians have had d misfortune of having. What have we done to oyrselves?

Scrap constituency projects! If legislators want to execute such projects let them do it from their pockets.

Crazy government.

While d common man languishes.. Our president and Nass do whatever they like...

See me now... My shirt rumple like something wey dem commot from inside coke bottle

How I wan take go church

National Assembly, we voted you there to represent us. To help negotiate for good projects like this. Why remove them and not remove your allowances?