Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has said that President
Muhammadu Buhari should be ashamed that he signed 2018 budget in June
instead of blaming the National Assembly for performing its
constitutional duties, asking “The previous budgets that he agreed
with the National Assembly, what did he do with them? Where are the
impacts of 2016 and 2017 budgets?”
The governor, who described those presenting the President as the only
one who is right and knowledgeable about national issues as his
greatest enemies, said: “In the mindset of President Buhari and his
men, all Nigerians are wrong except him. That is the reason he feigned
ignorance to the fact that the law did not say that the legislative
arm of government must pass the budget as presented by the executive.”
In a statement in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said: “President Buhari has become what can be termed
as blame specialist who will always blame his failure on other people.
“As a military Head of State, he blamed former President Shehu
Shagari’s government. Since he assumed office, he has been blaming his
predecessor. And now that he can’t get ordinary budget passed by the
National Assembly for over six months, he is blaming the legislative
arm. When is he going to be man enough to stop his blame game?”
Fayose reminded the President of the 2016 ruling of Justice
Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja in which he declared
that the National Assembly has the power to add, reduce and review
the budget.
“The judge said categorically that the National Assembly
can increase, or review upward, budget estimates laid before it by the
executive.
“Trying to use the National Assembly as scape goat for his failure is a
disservice to the principle of separation of powers, checks and
balances,” he said.
Calling on the President to govern the country and stop blaming others
for his inadequacies, Fayose said: “The budgets that the
National Assembly passed in 2016 and 2017, what did he do with them? What
impact did the budgets make on the lives of Nigerians?
“Why can’t the President just go ahead and implement what the National
Assembly appropriated and present supplementary budget later instead
of trying to label the legislative arm as the reasons for his
government’s failure?”
The governor said Nigerians were tired of Buhari’s repetitive speeches and unfulfilled promises, adding that “The masses want the president to create jobs and make life more abundant for
them.
“As at today, everything is wrong with Nigeria under President Buhari.
The country is not secured as bandits and killer herdsmen have
taken over everywhere. Nigerians are no longer free to move even
within a state, not to talk of from one state to another.
“Therefore, he should stop the blame game and get serious with
governance so that Nigerians can at least attach one major achievement
to his tenure as President.”
