In a significant move following President Tinubu’s transmission of the N2,176,791,286,033 Supplementary Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, the House of Representatives has commenced its budget defense sessions with various agencies of the government.
Led by Honorable Abubakar Bichi, the Committee on Appropriation has welcomed Service Chiefs and ministers who have appeared before the committee to defend their budgets.
These sessions require all agencies to provide an account of the previous appropriations and outline their plans for the new allocation.
Speaking about the purpose of the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Honorable Abubakar Bichi, highlighted its focus on improving national security, food security, critical road infrastructure, and addressing the housing deficit by upgrading slums and renewing urban areas.
He also emphasized that the bill aims to support the payment of provisional wages to workers, provide cash transfers to vulnerable Nigerians, and fund off-cycle elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo States.
The budget summary, provided by Honorable Bichi, is as follows:
1. Ministry of Defence:
– Recurrent: ₦215,937,945,659
– Capital: ₦260,605,901,762
– Total: ₦476,543,847,421
2. Police Formations and Command:
– Recurrent: ₦29,661,660,269
– Capital: ₦20,338,339,731
– Total: ₦50,000,000,000
3. Federal Capital Territory Administration:
– Capital: ₦100,000,000,000
4. Office of the National Security Adviser:
– Recurrent: ₦27,402,410,057
– Capital: ₦2,298,196,859
– Total: ₦29,700,606,916
5. Department of State Services:
– Capital: ₦49,046,831,697
6. State House:
– Capital: ₦28,000,000,000
7. Federal Ministry of Works:
– Capital: ₦300,000,000,000
8. Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security:
– Recurrent: ₦104,800,000,000
– Capital: ₦95,200,000,000
– Total: ₦200,000,000,000
9. Ministry of Housing:
– Capital: ₦100,000,000,000
10. Service-Wide Vote:
– Recurrent: ₦615,000,000,000
– Total: ₦615,000,000,000
11. Capital Supplementation:
– Capital: ₦210,500,000,000
12. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC):
– Capital: ₦18,000,000,000
Total: ₦1,010,802,015,985 (Recurrent) + ₦1,165,989,270,049 (Capital) = ₦2,176,791,286,033
According to Honorable Bichi, the committee has invited the relevant MDAs to shed more light on their submissions and defend their budgets.
During these sessions, five ministers, all service chiefs, the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and the Director General of the State Services were present.
Infrastructure was a key focus during the budget defense sessions. While defending the Ministry of Works’ 2023 supplementary budget, Mr. Dave Umeahi, the Minister of Works, emphasized that the allocated funds would be used to fix Nigerian roads in order to prevent accidents, kidnappings, and other road-related issues. He highlighted that Nigeria needs ₦18.6 trillion to address its road infrastructure needs over the next four years.
The minister also cautioned against engaging contractors without full budgetary appropriation for road infrastructure and advocated for the creation of a contingent fund to address road interventions.
Similarly, the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, voiced concerns about the challenges of insecurity, climate change, and desertification faced by farmlands. He stressed the urgency of subsidizing fertilizers, which are currently beyond the reach of poor farmers.
Regarding security, Mr. Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, disclosed that the ministry has allocated ₦3.4 billion for security vehicles to tackle the rising cases of “one chance” [a form of fraud] in the nation’s capital. The allocated funds will be utilized to procure vehicles for all security agencies in the territory, enhancing their functions of ensuring safety and security.
Minister Wike further mentioned that with the supplementary budget, the ministry aims to complete all ongoing road infrastructure projects in the territory before the next rainy season.
In conclusion, the N2.1 trillion Supplementary Appropriation Bill has been strategically designed to prioritize national security, food security, critical road infrastructure, and efforts to address the country’s housing deficit. These budget defense sessions will provide an opportunity for military chiefs, ministers, and relevant agencies to present and clarify their budgets.
