The House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption has dismissed allegations of budget padding for the Code of Conduct Bureau.

The Committee Chairman, BABAJIDE AKINLOYE made the denial in a statement released in Abuja, as the 2016 budget showdown between the Presidency and the National Assembly rages on.BABAJIDE AKINLOYE cited a newspaper published on Tuesday in which it was alleged that the National Assembly padded the budget figures for the CCB by over four billion naira.The Federal Lawmaker said the claims in the report represent gross falsehood and total mischief by those who do not mean well for Nigeria.The Legislator explained that his committee only rearranged the order and priority of the Code of Conduct Bureau, which was done at the request of the agency.AKINLOYE noted that the CCB had during the budget defense informed the committee that the working environment for its staff was not conducive, because it was currently operating from five different offices scattered around Abuja.He said also recalled that CCB had after the 2015 budget, returned over two hundred and thirty million naira to Government coffers, which was earmarked for the building of its head office.The lawmaker said it was agreed that the Bureau could either continue with the Head Office project or buy a building that will accommodate its operations for optimum service delivery in its anti-corruption drive.BABAJIDE AKINLOYE said it was on that basis that four billion naira was included in the CCB Budget to take care of the Head-Office project.He said an attempt to link the approval of the CCB Head office project in the Budget passed by the National Assembly to ongoing court case of the Senate President, BUKOLA SARAKI is the highest act of blackmail and sheer falsehood against the National Assembly in whole and the House Committee on Anti-Corruption in particular.The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption said in exercising its oversight functions, the committee had engaged in robust interaction with other agencies such as the ICPC and the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
He said the goal has been to ensure that the anti corruption agencies are supported with resources to achieve their statutory duties, and he wondered why only that of the CCB is being singled out for criticism.The lawmaker who represents Eti-Osa Federal Constituency of Lagos State said while the Executive is mandated to prepare and lay before the National Assembly a proposed budget detailing projects to be executed, it should be made clear that the responsibility and power of appropriation rests with the National Assembly.AKINLOYE said it was the wish of people of his constituency for accelerated implementation of the budget, which should fast track the needed development and reduce untold hardships and not all these baseless allegations which are indeed, uncalled for.