Buhari Directs 2016 Budget To Be Published Online

  

President Buhari has ordered the publication of the draft  2016 budget currently before the Senate to be published online on the website of the Budget office to enable Nigerians read and make constructive input.
The presidency stated that Buhari will welcome constructive criticism of government policies, budget and expenditures.
In a statement by the Senior  Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President Shehu Garba,said the directive to publish the budget draft is the only way to make the change promised meaningful.


 Shehu who was reacting to a newspaper report with the headline, ‘2016 Budget: Buhari to spend more on State House Clinic than on all federal govt-owned teaching hospitals’ said the Budget Office supplied a summary of the allocations to the various sectors under the Ministry of Health, which showed clearly that the published story was inaccurate.

He said: “The budget office has affirmed that in terms of both capital and recurrent allocations, the draft budget has put far more money in the 17 teaching hospitals than it did in the state house clinic.

“Having said this, we are not by any stretch of imagination suggesting that the draft budget is beyond comments or reproach. Nor do we wish to dwell on this simply to make a point. To do that will drive away good citizens from pointing out needed corrections and, ultimately defeating the change mantra of the administration”.

The presidency affirmed that the budget is a ‘Nigerian budget’ and that citizens reserve the right to examine its content  and provide their own perspectives without hinderance.

“As the draft goes through the approval process, this and many other aspects will continue to generate interest, criticism, commendation and sometimes condemnation in discussions in the parliament, the media and the court of public opinion.’’

“We believe that the process of ‘change’ will be affected by, and stands to gain form these debates especially where there is good faith on all sides. Government has no reason whatsoever to mislead the citizens on the budget and on all other matters for whatever reason”