By Adebayo Olodan
A storm of reactions by Nigerians has greeted a statement by President Muhammadu Buhari that he rates the Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, “very very low” on patriotism.
President Buhari made this statement when he addressed Nigerians in a “Special Interview” aired on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Monday.
The President Buhari during the interview addressed many issues including insecurity, the economy, judiciary and the 2019 general elections among others.
President Buhari said during the “Special Interview” that the National Assembly, led by Saraki and Dogara held Nigeria to ransom for seven months without passing the budget.
“I told Saraki and Dogara that by holding the budget for 7 months, you’re not hurting me, you’re hurting Nigerians? In terms of patriotism, I rate them very very low,”
Buhari said on Monday night in a Special Interview monitored by this medium.
According to him, the national assembly wanted to show they were the government and not the executive, and he made his displeasure known about their conduct.
Following the interview, Nigerians took to the micro-blogging site, Twitter, to express their displeasure over President Buhari’s statement about Saraki and Dogara.
A social media commentator, Daddy D.O@DOlusegun, wrote, “S11(b) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) requires government to do this by 31/08 of every year. @MBuhari’s admin has never “PATRIOTICALLY” done this.”
In his reaction, Arya Stark@I_Am_Ilemona, wrote,“The heads of MDAs routinely fail/refuse/neglect to “PATRIOTICALLY” defend their budget proposals before the relevant NASS committees. To the point where the same Sara & Dogara have had to ask Buhari to wade in before he did ordered MDAs to do so.
“It is important to commend Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) and Dogara (@YakubDogara) for putting the nation over their partisan interests. Continuously towing the path of honour despite the vicious and baseless attack launched on them by Buhari.”
