2019 Budget Presentation: Gov. Bello blasts lawmakers for booing Buhari

The governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has described lawmakers who booed the president, Muhammadu Buhari, while he presented the 2019 budget on Wednesday as children who are not well trained by their parents.

Mr Bello spoke Wednesday night during a chat with State House correspondents at the end of a Gala night organised by beneficiaries of the federal government’s Anchor Borrowers Scheme at the Banquet hall of the presidential villa in Abuja.

Mr Buhari was interrupted and booed intermittently – with chants of “Lies! Propaganda! Freedom come by struggle, by struggle!” – by some of the lawmakers as he made his presentation.

The lawmakers intensified the boos when the president was reading out the achievements of his administration, forcing Mr Buhari to pause his speech and address them saying, “May I appeal to the honourable members that the world is watching us… we’re supposed to be above this.”

Mr Bello, a staunch supporter of the president, commended Mr Buhari for remaining calm in the face of such provocation.

He said Mr Buhari exhibited the character of a father and a gentleman “who has the interest of the country at heart”.

He chided the lawmakers for showing themselves as “selfish, self-centred and bent on destroying this country and democracy.”

“Like I said sometimes back that when you have a child that is not well trained by his parents, he will constitute a menace to the society. And that is what we witnessed today at the National Assembly.

“National Assemblies are supposed to be made of men and women of character and integrity. We’ve seen those who constitute such class of human being today and those that constitute menace to the society in the National Assembly today.

“But above all, I thank God and thank Mr President for a wonderful presentation of 2019 Budget estimates and which we all believe will take Nigeria to the next level by the grace of God,” the Kogi State governor said.