President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an immediate investigation into allegations of fraudulent padding of allocations in the 2016 budget, with strict orders that all cases of discrepancies, errors and ambiguities be resolved promptly, a senior government official told PREMIUM TIMES Thursday.

An extensive analysis of the budget by PREMIUM TIMES exposed questionable details, with the National Assembly on Tuesday suspending deliberations on the document indefinitely.

The chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje, (APC-Gombe State), and his House of Representatives counterpart, Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC-Kano), said the suspension was necessary to enable the National Assembly carry out “proper clean-up” of the budget.

Earlier, a senior presidency official blamed “budget mafia” for the controversial contents, in reference to civil servants responsible for preparing the budget.

Another top administration official on Thursday gave PREMIUM TIMES further details on how the government was responding to the embarrassing budget allocations.
He pleaded anonymity, and said the government was avoiding publicly stating its position on the matter for now to avoid playing into the hands of its critics.

The official said both the Finance and Budget & National Planning ministries were determined to effect the necessary corrections and turn in a clean copy of the document for approval.


He blamed most of the errors in the budget on “over-ambitious civil servants” in the budget office who handled the preparation of the document prior to the appointment of ministers by Mr. Buhari.

He said by the time the ministers were eventually appointed, they had no sufficient time to properly scrutinize the budget for errors, in view of the tight deadline each of the ministries got before the final presentation to the joint session of the National Assembly on December 22, 2015.

To enable the budget to be cleaned up of all the controversial allocations, the official said a high-powered panel had been constituted with a mandate to investigate all observations and concerns by individuals, media and agencies, particularly the National Assembly.

“The presidency has ordered the immediate investigation of all the allegations and issues, particularly on padding, raised by the National Assembly on various ministries, departments and agencies of government,” he said.

“The investigative panel is expected to critically look into the budget item-by-item, incident-by-incident, with particular attention to the reactions from the National Assembly, ministries, media, civil society groups or indeed anybody that raised concerns regarding the padding of the budget.

“All corrections would be made to ensure that the budget was passed as soon as possible. I assure you government is working cautiously on the corrections with the intention of correcting any error or malfeasance spotted in the 2016 Appropriation Bill. If there is any error whatsoever, it is being sorted out straight away,” the official added.

It remained unclear what sanctions the government was considering for officials that might be found to be involved in padding the budget. Our first source had said those involved might be fired.

The House of Representatives had asked government to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to arrest and prosecute top civil servants behind the budget padding scandal.

On its part, the Senate said, apart from the prosecution of the civil servants, the Minister of National Planning and Budget, Udo Udoma, and other top officials of the ministry should also be sanctioned.

However, the official exonerated the minister, saying “That the budget could be presented the day it was presented and in the manner it was done was due to the extra effort and hard work by the ministers who inherited what the civil servants had already prepared.
”By the time they took over, most of the ministers did not have a good grasp of the details of the budget of their ministries”.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/198335-2016-budget-fraud-buhari-orders-probe-wants-questionable-allocations-scrapped.html

gateleo:
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an immediate investigation into allegations of fraudulent padding of allocations in the 2016 budget, with strict orders that all cases of discrepancies, errors and ambiguities be resolved promptly, a senior government official told PREMIUM TIMES Thursday.

An extensive analysis of the budget by PREMIUM TIMES exposed questionable details, with the National Assembly on Tuesday suspending deliberations on the document indefinitely.

The chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje, (APC-Gombe State), and his House of Representatives counterpart, Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC-Kano), said the suspension was necessary to enable the National Assembly carry out “proper clean-up” of the budget.

Earlier, a senior presidency official blamed “budget mafia” for the controversial contents, in reference to civil servants responsible for preparing the budget.

Another top administration official on Thursday gave PREMIUM TIMES further details on how the government was responding to the embarrassing budget allocations.
He pleaded anonymity, and said the government was avoiding publicly stating its position on the matter for now to avoid playing into the hands of its critics.

The official said both the Finance and Budget & National Planning ministries were determined to effect the necessary corrections and turn in a clean copy of the document for approval.


He blamed most of the errors in the budget on “over-ambitious civil servants” in the budget office who handled the preparation of the document prior to the appointment of ministers by Mr. Buhari.

He said by the time the ministers were eventually appointed, they had no sufficient time to properly scrutinize the budget for errors, in view of the tight deadline each of the ministries got before the final presentation to the joint session of the National Assembly on December 22, 2015.

To enable the budget to be cleaned up of all the controversial allocations, the official said a high-powered panel had been constituted with a mandate to investigate all observations and concerns by individuals, media and agencies, particularly the National Assembly.

“The presidency has ordered the immediate investigation of all the allegations and issues, particularly on padding, raised by the National Assembly on various ministries, departments and agencies of government,” he said.

“The investigative panel is expected to critically look into the budget item-by-item, incident-by-incident, with particular attention to the reactions from the National Assembly, ministries, media, civil society groups or indeed anybody that raised concerns regarding the padding of the budget.

“All corrections would be made to ensure that the budget was passed as soon as possible. I assure you government is working cautiously on the corrections with the intention of correcting any error or malfeasance spotted in the 2016 Appropriation Bill. If there is any error whatsoever, it is being sorted out straight away,” the official added.

It remained unclear what sanctions the government was considering for officials that might be found to be involved in padding the budget. Our first source had said those involved might be fired.

The House of Representatives had asked government to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to arrest and prosecute top civil servants behind the budget padding scandal.

On its part, the Senate said, apart from the prosecution of the civil servants, the Minister of National Planning and Budget, Udo Udoma, and other top officials of the ministry should also be sanctioned.

However, the official exonerated the minister, saying “That the budget could be presented the day it was presented and in the manner it was done was due to the extra effort and hard work by the ministers who inherited what the civil servants had already prepared.
”By the time they took over, most of the ministers did not have a good grasp of the details of the budget of their ministries”.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/198335-2016-budget-fraud-buhari-orders-probe-wants-questionable-allocations-scrapped.html

hmmmmmm wahala de ooooo see child's play

Cart before the horse

ogba20:
hmmmmmm wahala de ooooo see child's play

u quote all this just because of this?

It is rather disappointing that the President had waited for so long and until this mess had been made public before voicing out.

When they told him the total amount was N6.1tn, what was in his mind? That that amount will give him the governance or performance or change he promised? Far be it.

With the increase in total amount without a commensurate increase in capital budgeting as compared to previous fiscal year was enough to raised the eyebrows.

I wonder when the budget is going to be through.

i have new that something was sure not right what the Budget, but i honestly think its takes Mr president so look to do the needful

Very shameful indeed.

It's even more shameful when one considers the sad fact that President Buhari presented the budget even before he has seen and read it. That was sloppy from him.

This is another vindication of the cries and hollers of the wailers; another great move from those who wish Nigeria a sane democracy.

When we started calling out the frauds embedded in the budget, we were abused and maligned but today we appear to be the voices of reason and common sense.

I've never ever read where ministers denied budgets their agencies or ministries submitted. And it's even more so when the President presented that same fraudulent material to the national assembly with a view to having our lawmakers sign that scam into law....In fact, some APC lawmakers enthused about the budget and tweeted that we all support it.

President must assume total responsibility and apologise to the whole nation for this caricature and and theatrical show of absurdities. If some people are undermining the President, ghats equivalent to a coup d'etat. Thorough investigations must be carried out to reveal the perpetrators of this corruption and the culprits must be made to face the law. But PMB made a big ass hole of himself by submitting a budget he DIDNT READ.

Nigeria has a very long way to go.

Lalasticalala, have you seen anything of this sort before?

2016 will be zero-budgeting.People celebrated their mediocrity and called for standing ovation for the president and his economic team.Few months down the line the budget was presented and later miraculously disappeared and reappeared again.What led to this incident didn't correct the anomalies found in the budget when Lassa rat disappeared it.Somebody must be blamed for their incompetent and lack of vision.Apc is a joke.A national economic team headed by a professor of law(Yemi osibanjo)who knows little or nothing about economy is a huge joke and misplaced personnel.That definitely define the directions the country economy is running.

Medicine after death. When a cow is your president, the cow will always present budget of fraud to the National Assembly before reading it.

Probing a budget he submitted twice, nawa.

Ok

Ok

What is the need of ministers and special advisers if they can't scrutinize the budget before presenting to the president to sign.
The koko is that Buhari has surrounded himself with incompetent people and might likely tow the same line as the previous president.

It is better late than never.
This is what you get when u have a president who values his integrity and name.

For sure it is an embarrassment, shame and poor oversight performance in the part of Buhari.

But 4 him to admit the errors rather than compromising and sharing Ghana must go to NASS members to overlook tins as we are used to in Nigeria, is a great positive Change.

This is d Change i voted for. We are gradually going there. We wont get there in 4 or 8 years. But we will be closer to it.

Reprimand to Buhari for poor oversight function and for not screening d document properly. For this Buhari messed up big time.

On the other hand, I strongly commend Buhari for accepting d embarrasment and his willingness to make corrections. I salute him for supporting his ministers for openly rejecting the figures. This is d strongest level of integrity i have seen from a Nigerian President. Kudos PMB

This is the time for Nigerians to pay more attention to the positive impact of the current happenings in the NASS defence budget than focus on unnecessary technicalities and use of English.

For the first time in 16years, the executive led by PMB have refused to defend inflation of Budget that some government officials and civil servants would have easily stole. The current rejection of some huge figures by various ministers is a clear reflection of president Buhari anti-corruption stand. It is very difficult to indict yourself on a document you signed. it takes courage, sincerity and high level integrity to do that. We must commend president Buhari for that. For Buhari to openly indict himself in public when he can easily make a deal with the senate president by compromising the trust the people place on him like it was done in the past just to cover a little "embarrassment" is very commendable.

We need to tell ourselves the truth. Most of the items in the Budget that are rejected today by Buhari administration, are items that have be existing in the Budget for the last 3 or more years. The items have been defended in the past without any scrutiny by the National Assembly because in the past corruption was worship.

I know some people will argue that PMB is to be blame for the current embarrassment. Yes I agree that the Budget is his responsibility. However we must as well tell ourselves the truth that there is no way PMB would have read all the 1000 page documents. No president in the world does that. The truth is that the civil servants who made the budget estimate did it base on previous template and mindset in the past. They did not fully understand the change agenda of PMB. Hopefully by 2017 budget, we will have less of this misunderstanding between PMB stand and the civil servants interpretation of his stand. Some people will argue why use a template from a previous government you condemn. We must be sincere and know that change is gradual and takes time. The change agenda is a 4year to 8year agenda. So everything cannot be changed in months.

We must also know that the reason the National Assembly is doing more critical work in this budget rather than rubber stamping it as they use to do in the past is because of Buhari anti-corruption stand. If Buhari was sharing Ghana must go to the senate like it use to be in the past, there will be less noise coming from the National Assembly.

I work in a multinational company. I have not met any boss who reads 100 page documents prepared by me or any other of his staff page to page. Some of us here on nairaland are bosses too. For that we can forgive PMB for poor oversight for a document of about 1000 pages.

I am not saying this Budget and the process are perfect. But what I am clearly saying is that, this Budget and National Assembly scrutiny of the Budget, and ministers open rejection of possible inflation is the best Nigeria has had in the last 16 years. This is a major progress every sincere and objective Nigerian who loves the progress of this country should applaud. Because this new development is in the best interest of the country.

I am very happy with current noise about the Budget. This is a clear sign that Change has come. And change has come to stay.
Change is always difficult. Change usually face a lot of resistance and rough path. This Budget is actually a BUDGET OF CHANGE.

Buhari stop pretending that you didn't try to steal through an over bloated budget.

Leave the innocent budget mafians alone.

so APC led government will blame dy top civilians abi

1. who put dy 22million rent 4 aso villa

2. who put 3.2billion for clinic services

and i guess before the bill reached dy,NATIONAL ASSEMBLY dat is crowded with crooks was,dy Ajala dy dullard nt around 2 check dy budget himself or he sent it 2 dy assembly and then travelled 2 form he dint knw abt such mess kai,PDP re dy best though dy wer good at their game they will soon blame GEJ 4 lack of funds dats y dy increased dy budget

tuale4u:
It is better late than never.
This is what you get when u have a president who values his integrity and name.

For sure it is an embarrassment, shame and poor oversight performance in the part of Buhari.

But 4 him to admit the errors rather than compromising and sharing Ghana must go to NASS members to overlook tins as we are used to in Nigeria, is a great positive Change.

This is d Change i voted for. We are gradually going there. We wont get there in 4 or 8 years. But we will be closer to it.

Reprimand to Buhari for poor oversight function and for not screening d document properly. For this Buhari messed up big time.

On the other hand, I strongly commend Buhari for accepting d embarrasment and his willingness to make corrections. I salute him for supporting his ministers for openly rejecting the figures. This is d strongest level of integrity i have seen from a Nigerian President. Kudos PMB

Alert!. Another Aisha Jollof rice eater spotted. A very valued member of Buhari can do no wrong crew. Kare lai

I hv always had mixed feelings as regards the imprinted dullardary and sloppiness of pa buhari but I am now more than convinced the man is dull.......imagine probing a budget you submitted twice??.....chai.....nigerians are done for....this man is a big scam...charade....dang

Degis:

Alert!. Another Aisha Jollof rice eater spotted. A very valued member of Buhari can do no wrong crew. Kare lai

I am interested in Nigeria progress. So i compare d past and the present. For that,Buhari is ahead.

tuale4u:


I am interested in Nigeria progress. So i compare d past and the present. For that,Buhari is ahead.

So, what progress has Nigeria made under this Govt.?. We need answers and not blind followership

Buhari sef

tuale4u:
It is better late than never.
This is what you get when u have a president who values his integrity and name.

For sure it is an embarrassment, shame and poor oversight performance in the part of Buhari.

But 4 him to admit the errors rather than compromising and sharing Ghana must go to NASS members to overlook tins as we are used to in Nigeria, is a great positive Change.

This is d Change i voted for. We are gradually going there. We wont get there in 4 or 8 years. But we will be closer to it.

Reprimand to Buhari for poor oversight function and for not screening d document properly. For this Buhari messed up big time.

On the other hand, I strongly commend Buhari for accepting d embarrasment and his willingness to make corrections. I salute him for supporting his ministers for openly rejecting the figures. This is d strongest level of integrity i have seen from a Nigerian President. Kudos PMB

This is the time for Nigerians to pay more attention to the positive impact of the current happenings in the NASS defence budget than focus on unnecessary technicalities and use of English.

For the first time in 16years, the executive led by PMB have refused to defend inflation of Budget that some government officials and civil servants would have easily stole. The current rejection of some huge figures by various ministers is a clear reflection of president Buhari anti-corruption stand. It is very difficult to indict yourself on a document you signed. it takes courage, sincerity and high level integrity to do that. We must commend president Buhari for that. For Buhari to openly indict himself in public when he can easily make a deal with the senate president by compromising the trust the people place on him like it was done in the past just to cover a little "embarrassment" is very commendable.

We need to tell ourselves the truth. Most of the items in the Budget that are rejected today by Buhari administration, are items that have be existing in the Budget for the last 3 or more years. The items have been defended in the past without any scrutiny by the National Assembly because in the past corruption was worship.

I know some people will argue that PMB is to be blame for the current embarrassment. Yes I agree that the Budget is his responsibility. However we must as well tell ourselves the truth that there is no way PMB would have read all the 1000 page documents. No president in the world does that. The truth is that the civil servants who made the budget estimate did it base on previous template and mindset in the past. They did not fully understand the change agenda of PMB. Hopefully by 2017 budget, we will have less of this misunderstanding between PMB stand and the civil servants interpretation of his stand. Some people will argue why use a template from a previous government you condemn. We must be sincere and know that change is gradual and takes time. The change agenda is a 4year to 8year agenda. So everything cannot be changed in months.

We must also know that the reason the National Assembly is doing more critical work in this budget rather than rubber stamping it as they use to do in the past is because of Buhari anti-corruption stand. If Buhari was sharing Ghana must go to the senate like it use to be in the past, there will be less noise coming from the National Assembly.

I work in a multinational company. I have not met any boss who reads 100 page documents prepared by me or any other of his staff page to page. Some of us here on nairaland are bosses too. For that we can forgive PMB for poor oversight for a document of about 1000 pages.

I am not saying this Budget and the process are perfect. But what I am clearly saying is that, this Budget and National Assembly scrutiny of the Budget, and ministers open rejection of possible inflation is the best Nigeria has had in the last 16 years. This is a major progress every sincere and objective Nigerian who loves the progress of this country should applaud. Because this new development is in the best interest of the country.

I am very happy with current noise about the Budget. This is a clear sign that Change has come. And change has come to stay.
Change is always difficult. Change usually face a lot of resistance and rough path. This Budget is actually a BUDGET OF CHANGE.

chai!!!

I had heard that a new bionic breed of zombies was coming out in 2016, but I never expected a zombie sooo rugged. Half zombie, half robot, meeeen these apc elites are really advancing in their formulas.

so it's true that dullaurpo buhari can't read

if he could, shey he would have at least scrutinized it for a week or so, as per, his first very important budget? instead we had and still have a chop and clean mouth budget


...

wait, did u still say "Budget of Change"?

chai!

ur zombie status is legendary, very rugged creation. can we meet up I'd like to have a look at u, to see how u were built

Damage control! Exclusively for zombie united!
I kinda wonder how people believe this government!
They do not have any idea whatsoever!
Tell me what good has ever come from fulani, talk more of an uneducated one?
No let's be serious here, we like to romance words, to our own detriment.

Apc situation room, will continue to flood our cyberspace with lies and propaganda, but due to they lack every requisite idea to take this country forward, they'll continue to blame previous government.
Imagine Kemi adeosun as our finance minister? A woman that could not do anything meaningful in ogun state. Her records are very pathetic. She has no clue of what national economy is all about.. she so uninspiring, amateur and confused!
This budget was praised to high heaven by APC zombie united, they labelled it all sort of names without thorough check, that is exactly what they have succeeded in doing to gullible 15million zombies, and now the budget is not a only a fraud, but the most useless of them all. Shame to y'all..

tuale4u:


I work in a multinational company. I have not met any boss who reads 100 page documents prepared by me or any other of his staff page to page. .

idiotu.
so your department does not do internal budget defence before presenting it to the board?
lai will kill you.

This government sha, instead of it to blame the ministers, he is shifting it to civil servants. Was he not that appointed new Permanent secretaries and ministers?

A leader that doesn't take responsibilities, is not fit to be a leader.

Those guys have done so much damage to this administration- they shouldn't be handled with levity.
The term 'budget mafia' always get me laughing.

tuale4u:
It is better late than never.
This is what you get when u have a president who values his integrity and name.

For sure it is an embarrassment, shame and poor oversight performance in the part of Buhari.

But 4 him to admit the errors rather than compromising and sharing Ghana must go to NASS members to overlook tins as we are used to in Nigeria, is a great positive Change.

This is d Change i voted for. We are gradually going there. We wont get there in 4 or 8 years. But we will be closer to it.

Reprimand to Buhari for poor oversight function and for not screening d document properly. For this Buhari messed up big time.

On the other hand, I strongly commend Buhari for accepting d embarrasment and his willingness to make corrections. I salute him for supporting his ministers for openly rejecting the figures. This is d strongest level of integrity i have seen from a Nigerian President. Kudos PMB

This is the time for Nigerians to pay more attention to the positive impact of the current happenings in the NASS defence budget than focus on unnecessary technicalities and use of English.

For the first time in 16years, the executive led by PMB have refused to defend inflation of Budget that some government officials and civil servants would have easily stole. The current rejection of some huge figures by various ministers is a clear reflection of president Buhari anti-corruption stand. It is very difficult to indict yourself on a document you signed. it takes courage, sincerity and high level integrity to do that. We must commend president Buhari for that. For Buhari to openly indict himself in public when he can easily make a deal with the senate president by compromising the trust the people place on him like it was done in the past just to cover a little "embarrassment" is very commendable.

We need to tell ourselves the truth. Most of the items in the Budget that are rejected today by Buhari administration, are items that have be existing in the Budget for the last 3 or more years. The items have been defended in the past without any scrutiny by the National Assembly because in the past corruption was worship.

I know some people will argue that PMB is to be blame for the current embarrassment. Yes I agree that the Budget is his responsibility. However we must as well tell ourselves the truth that there is no way PMB would have read all the 1000 page documents. No president in the world does that. The truth is that the civil servants who made the budget estimate did it base on previous template and mindset in the past. They did not fully understand the change agenda of PMB. Hopefully by 2017 budget, we will have less of this misunderstanding between PMB stand and the civil servants interpretation of his stand. Some people will argue why use a template from a previous government you condemn. We must be sincere and know that change is gradual and takes time. The change agenda is a 4year to 8year agenda. So everything cannot be changed in months.

We must also know that the reason the National Assembly is doing more critical work in this budget rather than rubber stamping it as they use to do in the past is because of Buhari anti-corruption stand. If Buhari was sharing Ghana must go to the senate like it use to be in the past, there will be less noise coming from the National Assembly.

I work in a multinational company. I have not met any boss who reads 100 page documents prepared by me or any other of his staff page to page. Some of us here on nairaland are bosses too. For that we can forgive PMB for poor oversight for a document of about 1000 pages.

I am not saying this Budget and the process are perfect. But what I am clearly saying is that, this Budget and National Assembly scrutiny of the Budget, and ministers open rejection of possible inflation is the best Nigeria has had in the last 16 years. This is a major progress every sincere and objective Nigerian who loves the progress of this country should applaud. Because this new development is in the best interest of the country.

I am very happy with current noise about the Budget. This is a clear sign that Change has come. And change has come to stay.
Change is always difficult. Change usually face a lot of resistance and rough path. This Budget is actually a BUDGET OF CHANGE.

Finally relieved to read some constructive comment, rather than the juvenile tantrums that have come to define NL.

[size=18pt]orders probe without withdrawing the Budget?[/size]

what a joke of a President. Buhari and his kitchen cabinet are part of the budget fraud and that's the fact!

He blamed most of the errors in the budget on “over-ambitious civil servants” in the budget office who handled the preparation of the document prior to the appointment of ministers by Mr. Buhari.

what of the health minister who says his budget he does not recognise?

at what point was it padded? after the Minister has submitted the health budget to the Presidency? did the budget then go back to the permanent secretaries in the Health Ministry to be padded?

Buhari and his ministers need to stop shifting the blame. They need to take some responsibility like grown up men and women should and do the needful. I expect the following at the least.

1. total withdrawal of the 2016 budget and start again. Oil price is crashing, so this is no time for over spending anyway. the budget must recognise this new reality. we need a lean budget where all expenditures at first count are justified, let alone re-listing the same items twice.

2. I expect the resignation of the Ministers of Budget and National Planning Udo Udoma, Special assistant on NASS Florence Ita Giwa, Minister of Finance Kemi, and Minister of Interior Dambazau. These people either were responsible for the padding (Udoma), responsible to stealing the budget from NASS (Ita Giwa), failed to thoroughly scrutinise the budget to reflect the current economic difficulties (Kemi Adeosun) and responsible for the greatest exaggeration of cost to astronomical levels (Dambazau).

if these people do not resign, Buhari should be firing them as at least a face saving exercise if Buhari has any decency left in him. At this moment EFCC and ICPC should deploy all her resources to understand how this fraud of a budget was created as this is the real corruption milking Nigeria dry!

It is obvious that 2016 budget could have cost 3 trillion or less instead of 6 trillion if not because of this list of intent to steal called budget!

1 day dis fool will probe his parents 4 bringing him into dis world....m...... Bubu is a failure

Bevista:
Finally relieved to read some constructive comment, rather than the juvenile tantrums that have come to define NL.

Lol.

A president probing his own proposed budget ?

Wonders shall never cease.

What about withdrawing the stinking budget ?
What about a sincere apology to Nigerians for the embarrassment ?