Ahmad
In an interview with Punch correspondent in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, he said the changes must be known to the relevant committees and the whole House.
He said the legitimate padding which involves the House analysing the budget items and the amounts, to know their relevance and feasibility, is a normal legislative function.
Ahmad said, “There is nothing like padding, because the work of the legislature is to pad the budget and not to report the way it was brought. So legitimate padding is part of legislative process and so cannot be an offence. Padding which is known and accepted by the relevant communities and the whole house is not illegal.
“When you insert a figure after the president brought his own, that is what you are expected to do. You alter it or remove it and it is known to the whole committee and the whole house; that is legal padding. That is padding that is approved by the Constitution. So there is nothing wrong with padding that is legitimate. It is part of legislative function.
Ahmad noted that imputation of items and amounts into the budget, unknown and not approved by the relevant committees and the House, is illegitimate budget padding which is corruption and wrong.
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