NUPENG to NASS: Leave Fashola alone

THE Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD)  of the National Union of Petroleum and National Gas Workers (NUPENG)  has called on the National Assembly to stop the gang up against the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde  Fashola.

The national president of PTD branch of NUPENG, Comrade Solomon Akanni Oladiti gave the warning during the National Executive Meeting of the union held in Kaduna State, on Saturday.

According to him, ‘‘as members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Branch of NUPENG, we are watching events as they unfold and we  are determined to arrest the drift.

‘‘We shall do all that is lawfully allowed to ensure that the illegality being cooked against Mr Fashola and the efforts of the  government at making life more comfortable for Nigerians in general, is resisted.

‘‘Members of the National Assembly are therefore advised to allow national interest blossom against the parochial interest they are  trying to dress up in the garb of nationalism.

‘‘We recall that the Minister had recently expressed his frustration over the manner  in which the legislative arm of government altered the budget after putting members of the Executive through Budget Defence Sessions and Committee Hearings.’’

‘Mr. Fashola specifically listed  the Lagos- Ibadan Expressway, the Bodo-Bonny road, the Kano-Maiduguri road, the Second Niger Bridge and the Mambilla Hydropower Project among others as those that the  National Assembly materially altered the allocations in favour of scores of boreholes and primary health care centers which were never discussed during the Ministerial Budget Defence before Parliament.

‘We recall that the Minister made other startling revelations: that the budget of  Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was reduced by the National Assembly from N31 billion to N10 billion while  the budgetary provision for the 2nd Niger bridge was reduced from N15 billion to N10 billion, to accommodate, the legislators preference of boreholes and primary health centers.

‘At this critical time when Nigerians are groaning under epileptic power supply and  we believe, all hands must be on deck to salvage the embarrassing situation, it is disheartening and condemnable that the lawmakers have unjustifiably  decided to cut the budget for Mambila power project.