Okonjo-Iweala: Why I Leaked N17b Budget ‘padding’

Former Minister of Finance and Coordinating
Minister of the Economy during the regime of
former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala, on Sunday explained the reason
she decided to leak N17 billion budget “padding”
by the National Assembly in 2015, adding that it
was the “price to pay” for the passage of the
budget and not bribe as reported by the media.
Okonjo-Iweala said this on Sunday on her Twitter
handle.
She said she decided to expose the what
transpired behind closed door in order for the
country to move forward.
The former Minister in her book, titled: “Fighting
Corruption is Dangerous: The Story Behind the
Headlines,” had said: “By the time we presented
budget on December 16, 2014, the oil prices has
further fallen down to $58 per barrel. We were
prepared and knew we had to trigger the
additional expenditure and revenue measure in
2015 to make the budget work. This would be
tough, given that we had entered election year.
“Indeed, legislators initially refused to accept pay
cuts to their regular N150 billion budget, despite
dwindling revenues. But, eventually agreed to 13
percent cut against backdrop of Ministers
accepting voluntary 50 percent to their basic
salaries.
“In a tough session with the National Assembly
ad-hoc committee on budget (made up chairs of
Finance committee and Appropriation Committee
of both chambers and other leaders of National
Assembly), an additional N20 billion was
reintroduced as election expenses for the
National Assembly members.
“We insisted that the amount should be dropped
because it nullified the 13 percent cut to their
statutory budget, but managed N20 billion figure
by only N3 billion to N17. This become the price
to have 2015 budget passed.”
However, Okonjo-Iweala in response to the media
report on Sunday on her Twitter handle said
mischief makers are trying to distort the content
of her book.
She also faulted the reaction of the Majority
Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi
Gbajabiamila, to her position on the issue.
She tweeted: “It has come to my attention that
mischief makers are again trying to distort what
is written in my book, ‘Fighting Corruption is
Dangerous: the Story Behind the Headlines’, for
their own political purposes.
“One more time, It is important that people read
the book for themselves. In the case of the N17
billion, the book does not talk of bribe. It
indicates that lawmakers increased the budget
by N17 billion and we had to accept that to
move on; hence, the term ‘price to pay’.
“The reason for discussing what happened is that
this approach needs to change. The country
must clear up and clarify its budget process for
the future to improve.
“Those like Hon Gbajabiamiala trying to introduce
lies that myself and my aides put in our own
projects and lawmakers were fighting with me on
that basis are playing their usual cynical games
and Nigerians are tired of that!
“Lies obscure the country’s problems and do not
allow us to improve. There were and there still
are politicians in the National Assembly trying to
do the right thing. The book also points that out.
“Such well meaning legislators should not allow
their strident colleagues to twist matters and
divert attention from the need to improve the
country’s budget process so our young people
can see a better side of their country.”