Clark describes budget padding as sacrilege

•    Lauds Buhari anti-corruption war
 
Elder statesman and Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, Tuesday, came down heavily on members of the National Assembly, describing the alleged budgeting padding as sacrilegious.

Clark, who also described them as insensitive to the plight of Nigerians with their ostentatious lifestyle, expressed confidence in the anti-corruption posture of President Mohammadu Buhari.

The elder statesman urged Nigerians to rally round the anti-corruption efforts of the President.

Chief Clark made this known while receiving the management team of Edwin Clark University (ECU), Kiagbodo in Delta State led by its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Timothy Olagbemiro in his Warri residence.

The Ijaw leader wondered why legislators that were saddled with the responsibility of making laws will now turn around to insert extraneous projects in budgets.

He added that it is now obvious that educated people are the ones institutionalising corruption in the country.

“These unpatriotic legislatures must be brought to book on why they have been padding budgets with projects and figures not approved by the house. They are ordering cars that sell at N17million for N57million. They are being delivered now.

“To them, Nigeria is not the focus. They must get everything for themselves. The country will have to be cleaned and I am happy we have a president, despite every other thing, who has now stood up to fight corruption and we should him.

“This country will progress if we reduce corruption to the barest minimum,” the Ijaw leader noted.

Meanwhile, the Vice- Chancellor of ECU, Professor Timothy Olagbemiro, lauded the Chancellor of the University, Chief Edwin Clark, for the standard the university had attained within the short time of its existence.

He informed Chief Clark that the university had been accredited by the National University Commission (NUC) and Council of Legal Education respectively to offer law degree programme in the institution.