2016 Budget: Stakeholders Urge Inclusion Of Lagos-Calabar Rail

As the controversy
surrounding the true state of 2016 budget deepens, party chieftains and other stakeholders in Rivers State have called for the immediate inclusion of Lagos-Calabar rail project in the 2016 budget.
In separate interviews with The Tide over the weekend in Port Harcourt a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr Sampson Parker called on lawmakers from the South-South Geo-Political Zone of the country to intensify efforts at ensuring that the Lagos-Calabar rail project is included in the budget before the assent of President Mohammadu Buhari.
Parker, a former Commissioner for Health in the State, said the purported removal of the project from the Appropriation bill by the National Assembly was a deliberate act to undermine the  economic importance of the zone.
He called on the lawmakers to shun tribalism and egocentric politics as they discharge their onerous responsibilities on such important national issues as the 2016 budget.
Also reacting, a youth leader in the state, Comrade Marvin Yobana described the Lagos-Calabar rail project as one of the most economically viable capital project.
According to him, the removal of the project in the appropriation bill was a total error either on the side of executive or the National Assembly, pointing out that Niger Delta region as a major  contributor to the nation’s growth, should be included in the scheme of things, especially the rail project .
It would be recalled that the presidency had accused the National Assembly tampering with some aspects of the 2016 budget by removing the proposed Lagos-Calabar rail project from the recently approved budget.
But, the National Assembly has denied the allegation, saying that the proposed project was not originally included in the appropriation bill presented to them by the executive.
The National Assembly challenged the executive arm to produce evidence that the bill contained the said project.

Enoch Epelle