The 2016 Budget proposal presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 22, 2015 is NOT missing.
The Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume had earlier on Tuesday told senators in a closed-door session that both the hard and soft copies of the 2016 Budget proposal were missing from the National Assembly.
Nigerians have been wondering why and how even the soft copy would be missing from all the systems in the National Assembly.
After a thorough and painstaking investigation, Thinkers Newspaper can authoritatively report that the document is NOT missing from the National Assembly.
Our team of investigative reporters also found out that the hard copies of the document are in virtually every office in the National Assembly complex.
Several sources in the complex told our reporters that the story of the missing budget was a deliberate ploy to hoodwink Nigerians by highly placed government officials.
“It is unthinkable for the copies of the budget proposal to suddenly grow wings and fly out of the National Assembly. As I am talking to you now, I have several copies with me here. I think some people are up to some mischiefs for peddling that unbelievable story,” one of the sources said.
Like a script meant for Nollywood, Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki was at the State House to see President Muhammadu Buhari barely few hours after the 2016 Budget estimates were said to be missing.
Saraki, who came out from the President’s office about 30 minutes after his arrival, declined to speak to journalists on the reportedly missing 2016 Budget proposal.
He, however, added more doubt to the story by simply laughing the matter off when State House correspondents approached him to comment on the matter.
Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu has also confirmed that the budget was given to the National Assembly in hundreds of copies, further adding to the doubt on the possibility of all the copies getting missing.
Thinkers Newspaper recalls that there were rumours of the withdrawal of the budget by the Presidency about a fortnight ago.
The Presidency was said to have made the withdrawal to correct some mistakes and inconsistencies in the budget figures.
But, Malam Garba Shehu reiterated that the only person that can withdraw the document is the President, and he has not done that.
Documents Sourced from National Assembly
