Buhari Extremely Upset About 2016 Budget Padding – Sagay

Buhari-Budget Presentation

Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay yesterday disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari is very upset over revelations that the 2016 budget estimates he submitted to the National Assembly had been illegally tampered with.

Conflicting figures and padding of allocations in the budget to Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, have bogged down its considering for passage this month with reports indicating that the National Assembly has suspended further action on the document till the discrepancies are reconciled.

Sagay, a constitutional expert, who was speaking to reporters yesterday at the Olu’s Palace in Warri, Delta State, said President Buhari had been so angry over the embarrassing scandal surrounding the budget that he was determined to punish those that may be found culpable.

He also said his understanding of the development showed the problem may be traceable to civil servants.

“From what I have read, the problem came from the civil service. All these allegations of padding came from the civil service not from the presidency.

“From what I have gathered, the President himself is extremely upset about that and he is deter-mined to punish those who were responsible”, he said.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also disclosed that some prominent Nigerians who looted the country in the previous administration were returning their loots for which the Presidency is now considering soft-landing for such persons.

“Yes! A lot of money has been recovered. The result of that is that such people may be given soft-landing”, Sagay said.