Saraki’s 2019 budget comments immature, reckless – BMO

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described Senate President Bukola Saraki as immature and irresponsible for the position he is occupying.  

In a statement signed by its chairman Niyi Akinsiju and secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said it was the height of irresponsibility and recklessness for him to glibly dismiss the 2019 Budget proposal as “hopeless” 

It noted that Saraki’s comments at a meeting with supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party were a continuation of the conduct of the opposition members of the National Assembly at the budget presentation.

“It is barely two days after President Muhammadu Buhari tabled the budget estimates in spite of the worst efforts of a minority group to disrupt the session, and here we have the supposed number three citizen brushing aside a document he could not have thoroughly scrutinized in hours.

“This is the same individual that did not make the traditional opening remark because he was too cowardly to look the President in the eyes and present a speech that was laced with lies and half truths that were later posted on his Facebook page.

“There have been several Senate Presidents since 1999 but none of them has been as immature and egoistical as Saraki who finds it hard to separate selfish interest from national interest”

The group said what Saraki did at the PDP gathering was to serve notice to Nigerians that the 2019 budget would be stalled with no hope that it would even be deliberated upon as soon as possible.

“If it was a matter before the courts, Saraki’s irresponsible comments would have been considered subjudice. And that is exactly the situation we have on our hands now.

“He has played his hands early and there is nothing the Executive would do during budget defence sessions that would be satisfactory to this usurper

“So Nigerians now have the benefit of an advance warning of the Senate President’s intention to make life difficult for all in the name of politics by his outright dismissal of a document that was painstakingly put together by a team of experts led by the Director General of the Budget Office Ben Akabueze.”

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BMO also urged more responsible members of the two legislative chambers to treat his comment as an abuse of their privilege.

“This is because as chairman of the National Assembly, he is seen as the chief spokesman of the legislature and what he says in and out of the legislative complex could easily be viewed as the opinion of all members.

“So it may be a good idea for more responsible Senators and Members of the House of Representatives to dissociate themselves from the anti-people comment of the Senate President

“They should not allow him to continue to desecrate the hallowed chamber with his reckless comments which boil down to the bitterness he once expressed during an earlier political meeting in Ilorin where he accused President Buhari of not literally throwing open the nation’s coffers for those who spent personal funds to campaign for him in 2015

“It is against this backdrop that we reaffirmed our earlier position that Saraki is not fit to occupy the position of Senate President,” BMO said