By Adenike Lucas

A legislator from the south west of Nigeria believes that they are supposed to pad the budget.

Honourable Abiodun Olasupo, the representative for Iseyin in Oke-Ogun, in Oyo at the lower chamber, stated that the House of Representatives had not commit fraud, despite what Hon. Dr Abdulmumin Jibrin has said.

Honourable Dr. Jibrin accused the House Speaker of padding the budget to the tune of 284 billion Naira but Hon. Olasupo argued that “budget padding is a constitutional responsibility of the legislative arm of Government.”

He backed his argument by citing Sections 80 and 81 of the Nigerian constitution, stating that the law guaranteed lawmakers the powers to alter budget proposals.

Hon. Olasupo who made this known during an inspection of project in his constituency on August 10, went on to question what Hon. Dr Jibrin refers to as padding, stating instead that padding was “tantamount to what the constitution defines as the function of a member of House of Representative.

“This is because the constitution guarantees the three major function of making law, appropriation, and over sight.

“When the executive are bringing the budget they are not considering my constituency, so they bring a budget to me and I am expected to approve it, and it does not have the interest of constituency you want me to keep quiet?

“No, I won’t. What I will also do is to insert what will favor the people of my constituency which is what Jibrin calls padding.

“I am not saying somebody is wrong or right but I do not see what is bad in attracting projects to my constituency. For the first time in the history of this country a budget presented by the Executive was reduced when a President personally presented the budget to the National Assembly.

“It means that we are shifting away from impunity and corruption that has characterised the government of the past.”