The Senate, on Thursday, January 21, justified the allocation of N115 billion for the National Assembly in the 2016 budget.
It also urged the government to explore tax avenues to fund the N6.08 trillion budget.
Making his contribution in continuation of the debate of the general principle of the 2016 Appropriation Bill, Senate Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, said N115billion allocation to the National Assembly represents only 1.8 per cent of the total budget figure of N6.08 trillion.
He said some of those who criticised the allocation spoke as if the vote was provided for senators and members of the House of Representatives alone to share.
The Osun Central lawmaker said the provision was also made to pay the salaries and allowances of those in the National Assembly bureaucracy and agencies.
He said: “I want to point out that I have looked at the budget and in the light of all the opprobrium that has been heaped on the National Assembly in the press, I want to report that this year’s budget contains a total request of N115 billion for the National Assembly. This represents only 1.8 per cent of the N6.08 trillion.”
On how to fund the budget, he said 54 per cent of the $3.8 trillion budget will be sourced from taxation.
He said: “If we are going to move this country forward, we must go back to what we did in the days of Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Nnamdi Azikiwe.
