Alleged Budget Padding:  Don’t Allow Yourself To Be Used To Distract The President,  Kwankwaso Tells Northern Legislators

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Northern Members of the National Assembly have been called upon to shun divisive acts capable of denying the region the much needed  development and growth,.

Particularly, they have been  urged to see the raging controversy over alleged padding of the 2024 appropriation law as a deliberate ploy by some forces to create disunity ,rancour and unnecessary disagreement amongst them ,to frustrate the good intentions of president Ahmed Boa Tinubu for the region.

A chieftain of the Kano All Progressive Congress APC and immediate past Commissioner For Rural Development ,Alhaji Iliayasu Musa Kwankwaso ,who made the appeal at a press briefing in Kano on Sunday March 17 2024 ,noted that the President Tinubu led Federal Government is favourably disposed to driving rapid development of the North through the execution of  people oriented projects, warning that the region’s law makers should not  allow themselves to be misled by those who are only driven by their selfish political goals.

According to Iliayasu Kwankwaso a three time Commissioner in Kano and direct cousin of Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso the leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP ,president Tinubu has already embarked on the execution of developmental projects across the Northern Region ,as exemplified in the completion of Abuja- Kaduna Road kano Express Way .

He cited the ongoing reconstruction of  Railway Lines linking major towns and cities in the North as a clear testimony of President Tinubu’s good intentions for the North .

The APC Chieftain ,stated that while the Northern region got a palliative worth about N3 billion ,other states of the federation ,were given N2 billion,.

This according to him ,is in addition to a large number of truck loads of essential commodities made available to states of the North .

” I believe that we should give the federal Government headed by President Tinubu enough time to tackle the country’s problems .  With collective and concerted efforts of all Nigerians the country will achieve a lot.

“The President is determined to move the country forward ,but there are some serious challenges that were inherited from past administrations, which demands that Nigerians should be patient .

On the hardship being faced by Nigerians ,Alhaji Kwankwaso called on the  state Governors to channel parts of the excess acurals from the Federation Account Allocation ,as a result of the removal of petroleum subsidy  to alleviating the living conditions of their people.

” Look during the immediate past administration of Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of which I was part of ,kano was getting about #12 billion monthly.

“Out of this ,about N8 billion was used in paying salaries and other emoluments. But with the removal of petroleum subsidy ,kano is receiving about #20 billion currently.

“And the State Government is still using the same N8 billion to pay salaries and other entitlements. The question now,is ” Why can’t the present Governor direct the excess funds towards improving the lots of the people?

“I believe people should begin to hold the Governors accountable,and stop this idea of blaming the President for even smallest matters which the Governors ,with the increased amount of money in their coffers should handle.”