Sen Ashafa absolve Presidency of blame in clash over 2016 Budget (Details)

As the Presidency and National Assembly continue to clash over the 2016 budget, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, chairman of the Senate Committee on “Land Transportation,” has moved to absolve the Presidency of blame in the latest setback.

The Senator who represents Lagos East refuted claims by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and the Chair of House of Representatives Appropriation Committee, Abdulmunini Jibrin, that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Railway project was never included in the 2016 budget.

In a press statement on his official Facebook page, the Senator made it clear that while the initial budget did not contain the said project, his Committee later received an amended budget from the executive through the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who went further to defend the budget before his committee.

He stated that the committee decided to allocate money to commence construction of the Lagos-Kano and Lagos-Calabar rail in 2016, which is expected to gulp N120 billion, being N60 billion per project.

The senator, who said he felt compelled to come forward with the facts before the National Assembly reconvenes on Tuesday, also stated that a counterpart funding is expected to be provided by the Chinese Export-Import Bank for the project.

Read his Full Statement Here