Buhari accuses NASS of inflating debts payable to states, excluding four states

President Muhammadu Buhari has accused the National Assembly of inflating the debts payable to states, over projects executed on behalf of the Federal Government.

He made the allegation in a letter read by the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, during Tuesday’s plenary in Abuja.

The President also accused the lawmakers of approving repayment to 21 states as against the 25 approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

According to him, the total amount approved by the FEC was N487.84 billion for 25 states, but the National Assembly approved N488.7 billion for 21 states.

President Buhari said the figure was higher than that of the FEC and decried the exclusion of Kogi, Bauchi, Delta and Taraba states.

The letter stated further that the process of approval by FEC was in accordance with the Public Procurement Act of 2007 and done to the satisfaction of the Bureau of Public Enterprises.

He, thereafter, asked for a review of the conditions that led to the exclusion of the four states and the details relating to the amounts approved by the National Assembly for the individual states involved.

The President, however, in his letter said the Federal Government would proceed with the implementation of the approvals on some basis.

Similarly, Senate President Saraki read a letter from the President on the Presentation of 2019 Appropriation Bill to a Joint Session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The lawmakers adopted a motion to sit in a joint session with the House of Representatives tomorrow for the presentation of the budget proposal.

The Senate held its plenary despite the takeover of the National Assembly by law enforcement agents following a strike by staff of the assembly complex.

The security operatives had taken over the complex, shutting off all entrances to the premises and preventing the striking workers from gaining entry.

• Sourced from a Channels TV report