President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to severely punish all those involved in the “padding” of the 2016 budget, describing their actions as disappointing and embarrassing.
The President, has described those behind the distortion as those with “entrenched interests,” said the unauthorised alterations had completely changed the document from the one he presented to the National Assembly.
He said: “The culprits will not go unpunished. I have been a military governor, petroleum minister, military Head of State and headed the Petroleum Trust Fund.
“Never had I heard the words “budget padding”. Our Minister of Budget and National Planning did a great job with his team. The minister became almost half his size during the time, working night and day to get the budget ready, only for some people to pad it. What he gave us was not what was finally being debated. It is very embarrassing and disappointing. We will not allow those who did it to go unpunished,” Buhari vowed.
