From Kemi Yesufu, Abuja

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has again blamed the interventions made by the National Assembly in the 2017 budget for the suspension of work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by the contractors handling the project.

Speaking at a public hearing by the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee mandated to look into the his statements on the budget, Fashola said the contractors on hearing the reduction made to the allocation for the projects, wrote the ministry stating that they had to stop work.

He disclosed that the tinkering on the budget for his ministry negatively affected Federal Government’s 3-year plan to build and rehabilitate roads, especially those used to move petroleum products and agricultural produce.

Specifically, he said the insertions  made by the lawmakers stalled government’s plan to rehabilitate 63 roads in 34 states.

“During the 2016 budget, N40 billion was appropriated for that road (Lagos-Ibadan Expressway). We released N28.625 billion to the two contractors.

“As at the end of the 2016 budget, the total amount owed the contractors was N13.1 billion. The proposal for the 2017 budget was N31 billion but the appropriation  was N10 billion.

“So about 60 per cent of the allocation for the road has been taken off and I have shown that we are already owing the contractors. It is suggestive that no reasonable  work will be done”, he said.

Fashola had criticised the National Assembly for slashing N21 billion off the N31 billion vote for the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and cutting off N5 billion from the Second Niger Bridge.

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The National Assembly in response accused the minister of misleading Nigerians.

The House also alleged that Fashola requested for an omnibus allocation of N20 billion to the budget of his ministry without details on what it was meant for.

But while speaking, the minister blamed the media for the statements which infuriated members of the National Assembly, saying he was misrepresented.

According to him, his remarks on poor understanding of budgeting were directed at the spokesman of the House and not the National Assembly as an institution.

Unimpressed by his explanation, a member of the committee, Edward Pwajok reminded Fashola that as chairman of the House Committee on Media, Namdas spoke on behalf the institution he represented.

Chairman of the Committee, Aliyu Madaki, admonished the minister that as a  high ranking government official, he must be temperate with his words.

The minister apologised for his comments, which, he said, were not intended to disparage the National Assembly, though he reiterated that his position on the re-allocation of funds for key projects to small constituency projects had not changed.

“My statements. But if, any offence was was taken, I apologise”, he said.