Senate President David Mark said on Thursday that the disagreement between the legislature and the executive over the non-implementation of the 2012 budget was necessary.
The Senate president said this at an event to mark Startimes’ second anniversary and the inauguration of Startimes Mobile TV.
He said that the rift between the two arms of government became necessary in order to achieve the common objective of ensuring that ordinary Nigerians benefitted from the dividends of democracy.
“The rift between the executive and the National Assembly is a necessary disagreement for us to come to one simple objective.
“The final objective for the legislature and the executive is that the ordinary Nigerian in the street must see the dividends of Democracy.
“The intricacies and mechanism that result to this is not truly the problem of the ordinary Nigerian. So, when we talk of whether we have implemented the budget to 56 per cent or to 21 per cent or to 36 per cent, the man who walking on the street in Nigeria is not interested in those figures.
“He wants to see that there are infrastructures on the ground for him to utilise. He wants to be employed. He wants to have three square meals in his house. He wants security to do his business. He wants to have enough power.
Mark, who said the disagreement was exaggerated, called on both arms of government to sheath their swords and work toward the growth of the economy.
He called on both arms of government to concentrate more on meeting the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians, rather than debating on the level of budget so far implemented.
“We should not begin to preach about percentage, I think we should worry more on how these percentages have been translated to realities on ground.
“But let me also say that I think there is an over exaggeration as to the rift between the executive and the Legislature, we are all working for Nigeria, but I must emphasise that the legislators are the elected representatives of the people and we wear the shoes, so we should know where they hurt most and I think people should listen to us,” he said.