Flays N100m
for movement of files
The Senate
Committee on Power yesterday alleged high level of duplication of items in the
2018 budget estimates of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing,
describing it as embarrassing and unacceptable.
At a budget
defence session with the Minister of State, Mr. Mustapha Baba Shahuru and the
Permanent Secretary, Mr. Frank Edozie, the lawmakers observed that N120
million, N480 million and N288 million were separately budgeted for purchase of
utility vehicles. The ministry also earmarked N100 million for transfer and
management of office files and documents.“Year in year out, the ministry
presents the same items in the budget and asks for more funds to execute the
same projects,” the Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe-led committee said.
Clifford
Ordia (Edo Central) queried the duplication captured on three different pages
of the budget.“I need to understand this thing. Look at the different pages,
you earmarked N120 million, N288 million and N480 million for the purchase of
vehicles. Are these vehicles different? If you add up these figures, they will
give you about N888 million.
“You also
said that you want to spend N100 million on transfer of office files. How do
you intend to do that? The people in your office, what have they been doing? I
can also see from your estimates here that you captured another item for ICT,
different from the N100 million for transfer of files. You need to explain
these things,” he said.
Hassan
Mohammed (Yobe) said the lawmakers were tired of being bombarded every year
with the same items. He urged the ministry to put its house in order.Abaribe
revealed that the 2017 budget (capital) of the ministry only recorded 18 per
cent performance.“We will take it that the 2017 budget was abysmally low at
only 18 per cent performance. This is unacceptable and I need to put it on
record,” he said.
There was a
mild drama when the minister could not respond to questions threw at him.
Instead, he appealed to the committee to allow the permanent secretary provide
the answers on his behalf. His appeal was rejected by the lawmakers.
“You were
sent here to represent the minister. It means you are here to respond to our
questions. Last week, we invited the permanent secretary to respond. Today, it
is your turn. “My colleagues asked me how come you are the person here and not
the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola. But I told
them since you were also a minister, you could be here on behalf of your
minister,” Abaribe told Shahuru.
There was no
official explanation of why Fashola did not turn up. Shahuru simply said he
(Fashola) was attending to other state matters.Fashola was last Thursday walked
out by the lawmakers over alleged “unpreparedness to face the committee for his
2018 budget defence.”
But speaking
yesterday on Fashola’s non-appearance, Abaribe said: “Maybe he decided to snub
us because of some media reports last week. But he ought not to have been angry
by that. I am sure that was why he sent you, he did not want to come here.” The
panel chairman said Fashola must be present at the next budget defence session.
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