March 22, (THEWILL) – President Bola Tinubu has dismissed insinuations that the 2024 budget was padded by over N3 trillion, saying the integrity of the National Assembly is intact.
According to the President, “Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; they did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought. But your integrity is intact.”
Tinubu spoke on Thursday, when he hosted the leadership of the Senate to a dinner to break the Ramadan fast at the State House in Abuja.
President Tinubu further assured the leadership of the Senate that his administration would always encourage cooperation for the advancement of the nation.
“I know the arithmetic of the budget and the numbers that I brought to the National Assembly, and I know what numbers came back. I appreciate all of you for the expeditious handling of the budget. Thank you very much.
“Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; they did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought. But your integrity is intact.
“I am grateful for what you have been doing. The natural challenge we are facing will be over. On the current economic difficulty, we are about to turn the corner. Our revenue has improved. All we have to do is to control expenditures and manage ourselves better.
“Light is at the end of the tunnel, and Nigerians will soon smile again,” his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, quoted the President in a press statement issued on Thursday night.
President Tinubu also assured that the perpetrators of the killing of soldiers in Delta State “will face certain justice”, warning that his administration will not tolerate attacks on the military and security infrastructure.
He said the military will continue to enjoy the support of his administration in neutralising security threats across the country.
“Our armed forces are working hard, and we will not allow attackers to undermine the integrity and value of our armed forces and its leadership.
“We will continue to encourage and fight for our sovereignty, our individual rights to exist, and we will succeed in banishing poverty from our land,” the President stated.
President Tinubu thanked members of the National Assembly for the speedy attention given to the Student Loan Amendment Bill, urging more tolerance, forgiveness, and charity during Ramadan.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, thanked the President for hosting the lawmakers, noting that regular interactions would enhance understanding and productive governance.
“We bring you greetings from the 10th Senate. We bring you assurances of continuous collaboration because we believe strongly that for us to have two brothers from the National Assembly as President and Vice-President, and even the Chief of Staff as our member, we have no option but to work with you, and to do everything possible for this administration to succeed,” the President said.
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