2016 Budget: Buhari Defends Allocation To State House Clinic

The Presidency has debunked reports in some quarters that more money was allocated to the State House clinic than all the 17 teaching hospitals in the country combined.

This was contained in a Sunday statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.

The statement also said that the presidency was not against constructive criticism on the provision of the budget and would welcome recommendations geared towards making it better.

Also, Shehu debunked reports that the presidency was deliberately misleading the public on some aspects of the budget, stating that President Muhammadu Buhari had already instructed the Budget Office to publish the budget document currently before the National Assembly on its website in line with its established tradition.

He said the move was to ensure that Nigerians make their inputs and observations on the budget in order to improve it.

The statement read in part: “The budget office has affirmed that in terms of both capital and recurrent allocations, the draft budget has put far more money in the 17 teaching hospitals than it did in the State House Clinic.

“Having said this, we are not by any stretch of imagination suggesting that the draft budget is beyond comments or reproach. Nor do we wish to dwell on this simply to make a point. To do that will drive away good citizens from pointing out needed corrections and, ultimately defeating the change mantra of the administration.

“The budget is a Nigerian budget and citizens reserve the right to examine its content and provide their own perspectives.

“As the draft goes through the approval process, this and many other aspects will continue to generate interest, criticism, commendation and sometimes condemnation in discussions in the parliament, the media and the court of public opinion.

“We believe that the process of “change” will be affected by, and stands to gain from these debates especially where there is good faith on all sides.

“Government has no reason whatsoever to mislead the citizens on the budget and on all other matters for whatever reason.”