DAILY POST recalls that a presidency source had disclosed that in protest, President Muhammadu Buhari may this week return the revised document sent to the executive by the legislature.
But reacting, Sen. Ashafa said that the focal point of the controversy was the Lagos to Calabar rail, stating that even though the project was not in the original document that was presented to the National Assembly by the Executive, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi later submitted a supplementary copy which contained it.
He said that the Minister submitted the sum of 120 Billion Naira, being 60 Billion Naira per project and that the committee later approved N52 Billion Naira as against the sum of 60 billion which the Hon. Minister requested as counterpart funding, while no allocation, whatsoever, was made for the Lagos to Calabar rail line.
He said, ” I have carefully followed the news items making the rounds in relation to the budget presented to the National Assembly and what was defended by the Ministry of Transport before the Senate Committee on Land Transport which I have the privilege of chairing.
”The focal points of controversy seem to be the Lagos to Calabar railway modernisation projects and the completion of the Idu – Kaduna rail line.
”I confirm that the Lagos to Calabar rail line was not in the original document that was presented to the National Assembly by the Executive. However subsequently at the budget defense session before the Senate Committee on Land Transport, the Hon. Minister for Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, did inform the committee of the omission of the Lagos to Calabar rail modernisation project and indeed sent a supplementary copy of the ministry’s budget to the committee which contained the said project.
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