Buhari seeks senators’ cooperation on 2016 budget, poor roads

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President Muhammadu Buhari last night urged senators to join the executive in fixing Nigeria’s poor roads and the railways.

Besides, they are to ensure that Nigeria does not default on payment of projects’ counterpart funding.

Buhari spoke at a dinner with senators at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The dinner, which started at 8pm, was attended by All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

It was the first of such engagements between the President and the senators since the Senate was inaugurated on June 9.

Senate President Bukola Saraki led senators to the dinner, which started with an open session but went into a closed-door.

On payment of projects’ counterpart funding, the President urged Senators to go as far back as four or five years and see how Nigeria defaulted in settling counterpart funding on projects. He urged them to rectify the situation.

He said Nigeria was enjoying tremendous goodwill globally and would like the senators to sustain this with their actions and support for his administration.

Specifically, he urged the senators to give the 2016 budget the type of consideration given to the screening and confirmation of ministerial nominees.

Said Buhari: “We are enjoying tremendous goodwill outside this country. Whatever we do, let us have it in mind that people have confidence in this government.”

Noting that the previous administrations enjoyed income from oil as high as $140 per barrel, the President said the product was being sold for only $38 per barrel.

He told his guests: “The roads are dead. Those who drive between Lagos and Ibadan will have a lot of stories to tell you. Those who drive from Kaduna to Jebba may have more stories to tell. The same thing is applicable to the East-West road.”

He added that if Nigeria could get the railways working, lives and fuel would be saved.

Saraki thanked the President for acknowledging the efforts senators put into the screening and confirmation of ministerial nominees.

He promised that the Senate would treat other national issues with the importance they deserve.

“Petrol does not know APC or PDP. We will always work hard in the interest of the country in everything we do,” Saraki said.

Source: The Nation