FG React As Saraki Describes Budget 2019 As Hopeless

The minister of information, Lai Muhammad, has said that the executive do not have time for war of words with the legislators.

The minister made this known in reaction to a comment Senate President Bukola Saraki made on the 2019 budget.

On Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari presented a N8.83 billion budget to a joint session of the national assembly.

The Senate President has said that the budget presented by the President has no hope for anybody

Saraki, who is the director-general of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign, made this known when he hosted some civil society organisations in Abuja.

“We all heard the 2019 budget. That is a budget that has no hope for anybody because if you look at the statistics and the figures there’s poverty, if you look at the figures based on revenues that are coming in, there is nothing left,” the senate president had said.

But speaking with journalists at Aso Rock on Friday, the minister said the executive presented a budget based on the circumstances of the country.

He said the government had met all its promises to Nigerians and would deliver more.

“It is not the practice of the executive to be exchanging words with the legislative arm of government, they are independent, we are independent,” Mohammed said.

“To the best of our knowledge, we presented a budget given the circumstances of our resources this year, we feel that is the best we can. It is left for the national assembly to consider it.

“I wish everybody Merry Christmas and as a government, we are happy that we have been able to meet all our promises, all our obligations to Nigerians.”