Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Nigeria’s minister of works, power, and housing on Tuesday moved to douse the tension between him and members of the National Assembly by stating that his disagreement with with them was not personal.
Speaking with State House correspondents on Tuesday the minister said his disagreements with the lawmakers over the ministry’s budget should not be misconstrued as a personal fight but one geared towards finding best ways to implement the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.
Fashola’s public spat with the lawmakers started about two weeks ago when he criticised the National Assembly for allegedly inserting projects outside the purview of his ministry in its budget and slashing allocation for key projects such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the 2017 Appropriation Act.
But on Tuesday while admitting that there was a disagreement between him and the lawmakers, the minister said, “There is no problem between me, as an individual, and the National Assembly. And let me make that very clear, many of the Senators and honourable members are my personal friends. So, you don’t fight your friends.”
Fashola stated that although the leadership of the National Assembly expressed “enormous support” for the plan, there is a disagreement over how to implement it.
“Now, there is also a disagreement, which I don’t think should make us disagreeable, about the best way to implement that plan. And I think that is all that there is to it,” he said.
“It is, perhaps, possible that in the heat of the moment, while trying to canvass our different positions, we are misconstrued as fighting but I am not fighting anybody.”
“I have a disagreement; it shouldn’t make us disagreeable. And the way I see it, even in homes, between husband and wife, there are disagreements about which school their children should go to, how much to pay for education, how much to spend on food. That doesn’t mean they reach out for the divorce courts.”
Stressing that the lawmakers also represent him as a citizen and his role is to engage them for the growth of the country, Mr. Fashola said, “This is the issue really. So, even if I have been misunderstood, my intention is not to quarrel with anybody but to see a better Nigeria, which I am sure they also want to see.”