BEVERLT HILLS, July 07, (THEWILL) – The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has responded to Senator Danjuma Goje’s call on him to honourably tender his resignation letter if the work is too much for him, stating that the questions about how he performs on his job should be left to members of the public to determine.
Budget Comment: Resign If The Job Is Too Much For You – Senator Tells Fashola
Goje, who the Senate Committee Chairman on Appropriation, recently criticised the minister on the floor of the Senate for flaying the National Assembly for altering the budget of his ministry and other ministries, and hampering their ability to execute infrastructure projects.
Decrying the senator’s admonition that he should learn how to “behave” like a “minister” and the reference to the Senate saying it was waiting to see how he would be “handled” by the House of Representatives, Fashola declared: “I think first that the language is unparliamentary and therefore not deserving of a reply”.
He said he was currently attending the 35th Annual General Meeting of Shelter Afrique in Zimbabwe, but had to respond to Goje to refocus attention on the issues at stake, asserting that the lawmaker’s reference to the patriotism of legislators should not be spoken but demonstrated as regards his calls for a more developmental budgeting approach.
Fashola said the lawmaker had trivialised the issues he raised about the unilateral slashing of the budgetary allocation to key national infrastructure by the legislature, insisting that he needs a good budget to work as a minister of the federal government.
The minister pointed out that a good budget was a necessary tool for the executive to do its work, noting that the Nigerian public would look to him and his colleagues in the executive to provide answers when services are inadequate.
“I need a better budget as a tool to do my work and that is why l am speaking out,” Fashola said in a statement personally signed by him and issued on Thursday.
“In this context, it is left for Nigerians to then decide whether budgeting for constituency roads is more patriotic than budgeting to complete the Kano-Maiduguri road that connects five states, the Lagos-Ibadan road that connects three states and helps to move food, imported goods and fuel across the country; or the second Niger Bridge that connects the East and West geopolitical zones of at least 11 states together.
“I will also leave Nigerians to judge whether it is more patriotic to budget for the Mambilla power project that will contribute to more power across Nigeria or reduce the budget to build street lights in legislative constituencies,” he stated.
The minister continued that Goje’s response to the issues he raised should not have been about accusations of his blackmailing the legislature or referring to those who shared his views as his “surrogates”.
While reiterating his respect for the parliament as a house where very vigorous debates about development should take place, Fashola advised Goje to acquire the temperament for such debate and disagreement.
“Let me reiterate that I see parliament as a house where very vigorous debates about development should take place and it is important for Goje to acquire the temperament of debate and disagreement,” he said.
Noting that Goje’s remark gave a clearer insight into how the senator and those who may be minded like him may be thinking, having transited from the executive arm to the legislative arm, the minister called for caution.
“It seems that it is such people who need a behavioural prescription about legislative function,” he said.
