Leadership (Abuja)
Golu Timothy
15 April 2008
Abuja — President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua took ill moments after he signed the 2008 Appropriation Bill yesterday and was consequently flown to Wiesbaden, Germany, for treatment.
Yar'Adua was said to have been flown abroad for what is believed to be a kidney ailment.
But the special adviser to the president on communication, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, told State House correspondents that the president travelled to see his private physicians for a medical review of an indisposition believed to be due to an allergic reaction.
A source in the presidency told LEADERSHIP last night that the president did not plan to travel to Germany for medical check-up at this time. Instead, he was to attend the NEPAD meeting in Senegal, which is expected to begin today.
"But when it became obvious that he had to go to Germany today, he asked Vice President Goodluck to stay back in the country while Foreign Affairs Minister Ojo Maduekwe, who is already in Dakar, to represent him at the meeting," the source said.
The source said the president was earlier rushed to a clinic in Abuja, where doctors advised that his condition required that he seek treatment from his doctors in Germany.
It would be recalled that the president's health condition was a subject of intense scrutiny during the presidential campaign that brought him to power last year.
He is expected back in Nigeria before the weekend.
The assent to the budget yesterday brought to an end the official conflict between the executive and the legislative arms of government over the budget impasse which had lasted some months.
The president's assent was witnessed by Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, the president of the Senate, Senator David Mark, and the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Usman Bayero Nafada, among others.
Speaking at the occasion, the president said that he expected all agencies of the Federal Government to implement the 2008 budget with "the highest sense of responsibility and with total deference to due process."
He pledged that every effort to ensure that actual results, commensurate with the resources provided, were achieved with the budget, the main thrust of which, he said, is to deliver on the Administration's promise of poverty alleviation and pursue its seven-point agenda.
The total money budgeted for the 2008 fiscal year is N2.748 trillion, which is made up of a capital budget of N860 billion and a recurrent budget of N1.888 trillion.
Speaking with State House correspondents after the budget was signed into law, the minister of state for finance; Mr Remi Babalola, said an amendment would be forwarded to the national assembly to address the areas of concern in the budget that delayed the president's assent.
Some of the areas to be fine-tuned, he said, are in the areas of new projects that have been added to the budget.
"We both agreed on how to go about it. Some of those projects will be taken out as a reflection of the amendment bill that will come and subsequently there will also be a supplementary budget.
"The projects that the executive considers to be in line with our focus and also that it has been well cost and which fits into the overall fiscal regime will be included in the supplementary budget," he said.
The minister explained that the delay that characterised the signing of the budget was because some of the inclusions into the budget by the National Assembly could not be accommodated by the economy.
"If you recall, the history of the budget started on November 8, 2007 when Mr. President presented N2.45 trillion budget with N636 billion as capital expenditure and N1.187 trillion as recurrent expenditure.
"On February 12, 2008, the National Assembly passed a bill of N2.898 trillion which Mr. President considered a little bit too large for our fiscal regime. And in consideration of that on March 13, 2008, the National Assembly returned an appropriation bill of N2.748 trillion to Mr. President with a breakdown of N860 billion as capital expenditure and N1.888 trillion as recurrent expenditure. That is the bill that has just been signed into law this afternoon.
"However, based on some of the areas we agreed that there is need for us to fine-tune and refine, there will be an amendment bill be sent to National Assembly in the next few days. There will also be a supplementary budget where projects that the executive consider vital would be included."
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i pray almighty god to heal our great president and hopefully come back to his country to continue his work of leadership.but when u back pleaSE CONCETRATE ON YOUR OWN WORK AND PROJECT so that they will be laudable to we nigerian both home and abroad as u have promised than condeming obj of his legacies.
According to the news I have been reading through your website, I appreciate President Yar'Adua's effort in eradicating curruption which has made Nigeria to be backward, virtually in all sectors. Imagine, what happened recently in the Health Ministry where shameless, educated illiterate, fraudulent and wicked people were sharing money that could have been invested in the health sector. I am this is what must have been going on for ages.
Anyway, the amount shared was just the unspent part of the budget. What have they actually done with the part of the budget that was accounted? No medical facilities to control ordinary malaria which has killed many people. The President can travel abroad for whatever medical reason, what about other Nigerians who cannot afford to pay for their medical bills? What about those who don't even have any health care facilities in their localities?
Conclusively, I think it is high time for people who are elected or appointed to offices knew that they are to serve people and not to steal the money that should be invested to move the country forward.
Thank you.
Moses
It is high time people gave that good man a break!
He sure has the right to take care of his health issues. People should be appreciative of the blood this man is sweating out for that country. I fervently pray for his quick recovery so that he can get back to continue his "unslfish/dedicated" service to Nigeria.
It is high time people gave that good man a break!
He sure has the right to take care of his health issues. I fervently pray for his quick recovery. So that he can get back to Nigeria to continue his exemplary "unselfish/dedicated" attitude towards governance and life in general. He is indeed a blessing to Nigeria in these times of bluntness and lawlessness!
its a goodthing that the budget was endosed at last , by the president, afterall the fracas it encountered thatmust have caused its delay. i also belive it must have under gone his personal or collective scrutiny. i hope there shouldnt be any wrong slutting or smuggling of any bills just has we had the last era, finally lets all pray that he should come back savely from his treatment