President Muhammadu Buhari is set to present a detailed request to the Senate to borrow $29 billion to finance its 2016 budget.
The President’s first request was rejected by the Senate for failing to provide sufficient details and now a Presidential spokesman has confirmed the documents showing a breakdown of how the loan will be used is now ready.
Mr Femi Adesina said, “You notice that what the Senate said was that it needed more details about that bid for loan. It was not that it rejected it completely.
“If on the basis of that you do not represent, it does not show you as a serious government in the first place.
“This is not a flippant government and before it asked for that kind of loan, it did its homework properly and if the senate says it needs more details that will be provided and represented.”
On whether there is perceived political undertone to the return of the document to the Executive Arm of government, the president’s spokesman said:
“It is not about pride or individuals’ interests, but it is about our country. The Presidency is out to serve the people.
“It is an opinion of somebody in the Senate to say that the loan request document was shoddy. You do not know at any particular time what is motivating that person to speak.
“At any given time, they are under-currents and you need to understand them at any given time”.
Giving further explanation to what he called under-currents, Mr Adesina said: ” I meant politics. But what should be at play now should be national interest rather than politics.
“I think that politics is coming too much into play rather than the interest of the people”.
He also mentioned that the presidency was planning to forward the 2016 budget to the National Assembly soon.
“We are recording better timing as regards the budget and it will come as soon as possible”, he stated.
