President Bola Tinubu has said that those alleging malicious embellishment of the 2024 budget did not understand the arithmetic of the process.
The President said this in his comments when he hosted the leadership of the Senate to break the Ramadan fast at the Presidential Villa on Thursday night.
According to a release issued by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, the President also insisted that those militants who killed 16 soldiers on a peace mission in Okuoma community in Delta State last week must be apprehended and made to face justice.
This came as he assured Nigerians that the nation’s economy would soon be rosy with increased revenues.
The President told the leadership of the Senate that the integrity of the National Assembly must remain intact and that his administration will always encourage cooperation for the advancement of the nation.
“I know the arithmetic of the budget and the numbers that I brought to the National Assembly, and I know what numbers came back. I appreciate all of you for the expeditious handling of the budget. Thank you very much.
“Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought. But your integrity is intact.
“I am grateful for what you have been doing. The natural challenge we are facing will be over. On the current economic difficulty, we are about to turn the corner. Our revenue has improved. All we have to do is to control expenditures and manage ourselves better.
“Light is at the end of the tunnel, and Nigerians will soon smile again,” the President affirmed.
Tinubu thanked members of the National Assembly for the speedy attention given to the Student Loan Amendment Bill, urging more tolerance, forgiveness, and charity during Ramadan.
Talking about the killing of soldiers, the President warned that his administration would not tolerate attacks on the military and security infrastructure.
He assured that his government would continue to support the military in neutralizing security threats across the country.
“Our armed forces are working hard, and we will not allow attackers to undermine the integrity and value of our armed forces and its leadership.
“We will continue to encourage and fight for our sovereignty, our individual rights to exist, and we will succeed in banishing poverty from our land,’’ the President stated.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio thanked the President for hosting the lawmakers, noting that regular interactions would enhance understanding and productive governance.
“We bring you greetings from the 10th senate. We bring you assurances of continuous collaboration because we believe strongly that for us to have two brothers from the National Assembly as President and Vice-President, and even the Chief of Staff as our member, we have no option but to work with you, and to do everything possible for this administration to succeed,’’ the President of the Senate said.
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