ABUJA- Unbelievable, the worse seems to have happened yesterday as the N6.8 trillion Budget 2016 document which was presented to a joint sitting of the National Assembly on December 22, 2016 by President Mohammadu Buhari was alleged to have developed wings.
The disclosure was allegedly made in a 90 minutes closed doors session as a prelude to business of the day, by Senate Leader Ali Ndume, who allegedly announced that both the hard and soft copies of the document have been stollen from the NASS.
He therefore urged that deliberation on the budget could not begin until fresh copies of the documents were obtained from the presidency or the Ministry of Finance or National Planning.
The Chairman, Senate Committee of Appropriation, Danjuma Goje, was subsequently mandated to lead a search for the documents and liaise with the presidency, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang, and the national planning ministry on the matter.
The Senators also resolved that the matter be kept under wraps, on the premise that mailing it public could embarrass the Presidency, the National Assembly and the country at large.
At the time the federal lawmakers proceeded on Chrismass and New Year holidays, copies of the document were not distributed to them, but weeks after, there were speculations that President Buhari had withdrawn the documents to enable him correct some discrepancies, a claim the presidency and the national planning ministry denied.
It was also allege that the document might have been quietly withdrawn by Mr. President, to enable the dreaded International Monetary Fund (IMF) make their inputs.
Sources volunteered that senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused the presidency of being behind the theft, an accusation rejected by their All Progressives Congress (APC) counterparts, who reportedly submitted that it was too early to speculate
President Buhari had on December 22,2015 presented a N6.08 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2016 to a joint session of the National Assembly.
It was the first time in three years a Nigerian President would personally present a budget before the National Assembly.
In the budget, capital expenditure takes N1.8 trillion, marking a significant over 300 per cent increment from the 2015 vote of N557 billion, while N396billion is voted for education, being the largest sectoral allocation.
Journalists yesterday, waited in vain for usual press briefing that follows such closed doors session at the end of the sitting. Neither the Senate Spokesperson Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi nor the Senate Appropriation Committee Chairman, Sen. Goje could be reached for comments.
Meanwhile, Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday, afternoon paid a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja. The meeting was not opened to the press as it held behind closed doors.
Although details of the discussion were not disclosed, the visit it was speculated was not unconnected with the alleged missing 2016 Budget document.
Attempts made by the State House Correspondents to confirm or refute the missing budget were unproductive as Saraki did not comment when asked.
Saraki, who came out from the President’s office about 30 minutes after his arrival, declined to speak to journalists who had gathered in front of the President’s office to know the purpose of his visit.
When asked When asked about reports that the copies of the 2016 budget handed over to the National Assembly by President Buhari on December 22, 2015 were missing, Saraki simply exclaimed “ha! ha! ha!” as he trotted and hopped into his waiting vehicle that immediately sped off the forecourt of the Presidential Villa.
