Budget padding: Buhari removes 22 top directors from budget office

March 11, 2016Bassey Udo

Minister of Budget and National Planning Senator Udoma Udo Udoma addressing the Management Staff during assumption of Office at Budget And National Planning

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday approved the immediate deployment of 22 top directors from the Budget office.

Authorities said the redeployment is part of a service-wide posting involving about 184 senior staff in various ministries, departments and agencies, in the federal civil service.

But the 22 officials were moved less than a month after the President fired the then Director-General of the Budget Office, Yahaya Gusau, and immediately replaced him with the incumbent, Tijjani Abdullahi.

Mr. Gusau was sacked February 15, following the widespread irregularities detected in the 2016 budget presently under consideration by the National Assembly.

His former subordinates have now been directed to exit with immediate effect, and to report to their new stations on Friday, March 11.

The postings, announced by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, affected four directors, six deputy directors and 12 assistant directors in the organisation.

The names of the affected officials were not immediately available.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that 14 other senior officials have been posted from various MDAs, to replace the redeployed officials.

The redeployment of the 22 top officials of the Budget Office may not be unconnected with the directive by the President for all those identified to have been involved in the embarrassing budget padding controversy to be sanctioned.

The president had assured Nigerians recently that his administration would not spare any effort to ensure that aĺl officials involved in the budget padding controversy were not only identified, but also sanctioned.

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Otile

Recycling the same old shit! What is the value added to this idle exercise? Duncee is never the right person for Nigeria.
YOYO

He should have fired them all !, ounce a thief always a thief
- FEMI A USA
  
  BUHARI IS BEGING THE ISSUE. HE SHOULD HAD FIRED THEM ALL IN HEART BEAT. ANOTHER WAY OF FIGHTING HIS CORRUPTION WAR. EXCEPT THE SAME NEXT YEAR.
AFRICANER

This is Buhari’s ego working overtime.

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you treat everything as if it were a nail.

Fire this, fire that, destroy that, remove that, when are you going to build? When are you going to add?
- muazu wali
  
  That is the characteristic of change. You must move round pegs to round holes and square pegs to square holes.
  - share Idea
    
    Did you read the comment properly before commenting. @187665873247990:disqus is saying that what Buhari is interested in is only fire and destroy without planning as he treat every issue as Nail considering that he is mr HAMMER. Nigeria we hail thee
Isi Agwo

The certificate forging illiterate, terrorist Bokohari, who presented that budget and praised it as “best Nigerian budget ever” is typically failing to take responsibility for anything. Brain dead clown.
- kevenreal
  
  No civil servant padded any budget! APC crooks and Buhari inflated the budget to loot the country. The opposition and the media were courageous and fearless enough to expose it.
  - sagas
    
    You are one of the criminals that specialized in padding the budget for the drunk unfortunato stealing is not corruption president with a FAKE pHD ,who during his time padding the budget is not a crime even gej the drunk like it that way to give way form his stealing drinking and gambling.
    - kevenreal
      
      Your psychotic episode is back?
  - muazu wali
    
    Have you seen the budget to convince yourself of what actually took place. Please do not talk and behave like an illiterate.
Bolu

Is this punishment?
easterner

Poor civil servants condemned and punished without any chance to state their case. I know the world will shake if these workers are given opportunity to state their case. There could be more to all these cos with Nigerian politicians any thing can happen, experts at inventing scapegoat, make noise in the bush and rush to the road asking who made the noise,trust them.
- muazu wali
  
  They are not helpless. They can petition to Public service Commission or the National Assembly. But for now they remain posted out.
New Nigerian

Under pdp once a budget is approved by NASS, it automatically becomes money to be withdrawn and spent – this very system leads to the system of padding in the civil service and at the NASS whose budget ballooned from N12billion to N150billion under David Mark’s leadership. Think about it, estimates equals money spent (irrespective of whether the job were actually done or not, and with the 10s of billions of naira that have gone to ghost workers, the amount of projects that have been awarded and re-awarded year over year, you can imagine what a calamity this have been)

The shift to accrual system would be to budget what biometric data infused voters registration card was to the last presidential election. Padding the budget, aside from the embarrassment , is only a barometer to what need to be fixed, ultimately the implementation of the accrual and cashcall method for budget performance would put paid to ability to steal the commonwealth based on estimates of future expenditures. I commend the administration of president Buhari for fixing the budget padding mess, and I look forward to commending him & his administration for implementing accrual method (based on actual work done by real people & projects completed) for actual cashcall and spending.
- kevenreal
  
  You’re not making any sense. Why did the opposition then not point that out? Why was Tinubu and Buhari silent in the opposition when that happened? Where was busy body Falana?
rolly

Just redeployment in secret? Is this how we want to fight corruption? This men should be exposed and thrown into jail. Except if doing that will further expose the “tacit approval” or the “incompetence” of the one who did not read the Budget before presenting it to the NASS.
If so, then “everyone” involved should be redeploy properly.
- kevenreal
  
  This is pure smokescreen. If we are to believe this bull crap, some people inflated budget to the tune of over $5billion to defraud Nigeria, all they go as punishment is redeployment, and you claim you’re fighting corruption?
  
  Olisa Metuh is accused of destroying his own statement, and his bail was set for 200 million naira.
  
  The problem is that the dullard and his few SW turncoats think we’re still in 1983/4. I think Lai Mohamed has to come up with another story because this is too ridiculous to be taken serious.
- muazu wali
  
  These are civil servants and they are protected by civil servise.rules. The President directed immdiate redeployment which was done. The Head of the civil.service will now.follow the rules to.query them, set up a disciplinary cmmitte and finally submit their.recommendations including dismissal to the Public Service Ccmmission. As soon as they are out of service the EFCC may look into the criminal content of their actions now.and before.
  - kevenreal
    
    I never knew people with your type of name can be this intelligent!!!
    - muazu wali
      
      I learnt this after twenty years working in Lagos. I was also on working visitts to portharcourt, benin , owerri, uyo, enugu, calabar not to talk of the north where I was born. You see I am a full Nigerian exposed, knowledgeable and highly intelligent.
      - kevenreal
        
        I presume you have not worked anywhere under the rulership of those evils called Boko Harem? That would be scary and dangerous; don’t you think so?
      - muazu wali
        
        I thought of joining the gallant Nigerian army to fight them. They are distorting Islam. That is unacceptable to me.
BobSolo

All of them should be fired and charged to EFCC for prosecution ..why redeploying….they will go to other MDA’s and do the same thing there too…just fire them and send them to jail..worthless bastards
- Hackervirus
  
  Look at your life…Fire and get them arrested by EFCC….Are there any evidence that will prove they did it?
UOU

On a hoax budget buhari personally signed, presented and celebrated, as the best budget since the life of the country, so buhari truly wants to pass the blame to innocent public servants, mindlessly. Even on that, deployment does not amount to culpability, buhari can deploy people but he is not God, who would deploy him sooner than later
- muazu wali
  
  Did you see a copy of the different budgets to arrive at a meaningful judgement?
  - UOU
    
    You people can just lie on anything and everything, government of denials, followers and supporters of liars, there is no shame nor integrity left on this government, non
    - muazu wali
      
      And you honestly believe anything and everything issued by PDP media. Shame on.you.
      - UOU
        
        Taliban maggot, i noticed they just paid you and you appeared but pocket don dey dry, where is lair mohammed, the free meal is coming to an end, get prepared, massive mumu
      - muazu wali
        
        Shame on you. I have no salary. I am freelance.
      - UOU
        
        Back to sender, satan, go thee behind me!!!!!!! Their pocket is fast drying, I warn you, this bloody dirty money they are paying you will revert to huge spiritual disturbances for your life
      - muazu wali
        
        You are lost! I will pray for you. Blasphemous prick.
      - UOU
        
        Devils child, pray for yourself first, taliban
Hackervirus

This man is a serious joke. Honestly, why cant he forget what happened and move on so we can have out budget approved. Redeploying directors willnot solve anything. It is about 6 months ministerswere appointed and none of them is working as a result no budget. The economy is grounded and people are suffering and this man is busy wasting time.

Time is running out for APC and remember 2019 is not far…
- excel
  
  Because is not business as usual. Stealing is now corruption.
Damilola

Why this sheer hypocrisy by Buhari and his govt all of the time for crying out loud? A budget that is supposed to be prepared for at least 4months was “decreed” to be prepared within a month, consequent upon the ineptitudeness of the presidency and the dilly dally mode he took on resumption in constituting his govt. Again this padded bugdet has repeatedly been defended by the National liar- Mohamed, given the fact that the bugdet never exceeded the previous total amount. Still Shehu Garba had defended many part of this budget that seems outrageous to commonsense vis a vis the state clinic, the Vp library, the presidency feeding and the likes. Even when they all shy away from the justifications of cables and exotic cars among others, the fact remains that the presidency is aware of this imbroglio. Or how do we explain a missing bugdet? Buhari has failed in many areas in just 10months to his presidency, if only we heard the whistle of the hunters calling us back from this sojourn in the first place
- muazu wali
  
  President Jonathan was a complete disaster as President of this nation. His budgets padded or slim were enacted into law but the money was never released and the projects never done.
  - Damilola
    
    Your case is very simple. Wait till after Ameachi, Fashola, Ogbeh, and the rest of their colleagues in the “smart” man’s cabinet commission all the works the “disaster” pulled up. They are all on the fray on. I’m sure uve been following some commissionings and some said to be already completed, 60% 40% 60% 80%… completions. BH is still being fought by the panadols the “disaster bought” and still expecting delivery of many. What do u think? Lies don’t last a time buddy, some people will visit the moment sooner or later.
- excel
  
  You see, this is the effect of brain malfunction.
- Naija_Conscience
  
  Right on point. Buhari is inept.
  - muazu wali
    
    That is your view. The majority of Nigerians who voted him into the presidency do not see it that way. The majority carried.the vote for.the next four years.
ABDLLAHI

im begining to suspect that PMB is either confused or still has not clearly understood governance issue. Last weekend I was discussing with a top director in one of the ministries he told me right from the beginning he sensed that there is going to be a problem with 2016 budget. for the following reasons:
1. Bringing zero budgeting system which was not clear to many civil servants , why not use 2016 to sensitize civil servants on zero budgeting against 2017, why the hurry.
2. sidelinning civil servants and bringing consultants when the consultants find it difficult to implement because of lack of enough time they reverted back to envelop system at die minute
3. too much time wasted before ministers were appointed that alone has caused alot of set back because the ministers had no enough time to adjust and contribute meaningfully.
4. Allowing the leadership of the legislature to slip away from buharis grip is political naeivity

The civil servants are just scapegoat and unjustifiabbly being vilified by the media for buhari to coverup for his ineffieciencies.
- MilitaryPolice01
  
  100 percent
- Naija_Conscience
  
  Good reasoning
- SB
  
  Did that also allowed the introduction and increment of money into the budget? If you can not do zero budgeting system, then don’t increase the amount allocated to a particular budget. Please,help tell these big shorts that PMB is the president, they should endure and behave for this tenure, they can later go back to their crony ways after he has left the office. God bless PMB, God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
excel

They should be punish for their lax altitude. Good development, this will show present and intended director that PMB will not tolerate any form of corruption.
SB

If I were these guys, and I am bent of padding, I will either resign or redeploy myself out of the budget unit. Those who are backing and pushing them to do things against the president’s wish will not be there to help them when they lose their jobs, the politicians are just there to get their pocket and dump you after that. Please, my advice to these budget paddlers directors, the should respect themselves and work for the authority that be (during Buhari’s tenure) and do otherwise when the corrupt politicians come on board, or else, no one will remember you when the head is cut off.
niko

The civil servants only have themselves to blame for not realizing that there is a new Sheriff in town who abhors corruption. CHANGE is required if they are to keep their jobs. Their irresponsible budget-padding behaviour under previous administrations must come to an end. A searchlight must be beamed into states and local government finances. Worse things and paddings take place there.