Reps Apologise To Nigerians Over Budget Delay

09.02.2008

Worried by the delay in the passage of the 2008 Appropriation bill, the House of Representatives on Friday, apologised to Nigerians for its inability to pass the budget as promised.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and other key officers of the Assembly, had promised that the budget would be passed before the end of 2007 or early in January.

Addressing newsmen yesterday in Abuja, Rep Eziuche Ubani, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, apologised to Nigerians for their failure to meet the deadline they set for themselves.

Ubani attributed the delay to a lot of factors, including the non- availability of necessary information from various ministries and parastatal agencies.

He said since the budget contained high figures, there was a need for the legislators to double-check to avoid errors.

Ubani said the lawmakers were painstaking in considering the budget because of the decision that once the budget was passed, the executive must abide by it.

“On the budget delay, I apologise to Nigerians. We understand their apprehension. It is not our fault. We want to ensure that everything goes on fine. Nobody is playing any game here. “The House, too, is worried about it,” he said.