Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), on Sunday agreed with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo that the National Assembly has no powers to introduce any project into the budget.

Speaking in Abuja at a programme organised by the National Association of Seadogs (the Pyrates Confraternity), Sagay said the legislature was trying to become the executive too.

Sagay stated, “I am amused that the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House are saying that the acting President had no right to comment on this matter. They said they have all the powers.

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“The National Assembly has no power to create projects; it approves budgets. It is the government, the executive, that takes proposals for projects but this National Assembly does not get the message; it wants to be both legislature and executive at the same time.”

He said selfish interests of lawmakers had led to the ineffectiveness of past budgets.

He added, “Even CNN reports that there are more private jets in Nigeria than commercial aircraft. The truth is that the overwhelming number of Nigerian elite see any funds voted or appropriated for any project as their share of the national cake.

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“The National Assembly itself sees the Nigerian national budget as its personal budget, its money to tinker with at will and then to leave something to the rest of us.

“It is no surprise that Nigeria’s development remains stunted and misery and poverty remain overwhelming.”

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and Senate President Bukola Saraki had earlier argued that the National Assembly can add projects to the budget.

Azeez