Submit Budgets Of Agencies Under You Within Two Weeks, Senate Orders Ministers

Irked by the continued abuse of constitutional provisions requiring Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government to submit their budgets for vetting, the Senate, on Wednesday gave Ministers two weeks to present the spending plans of agencies under their supervision for vetting.
The Senators said the directive is in accordance with Section 21 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, just as the affected MDAs were ordered to “stop all capital and non-essential expenditures for the current budget year…, pending the submission and subsequent approval of the budgets in question.”
Discussing further on a motion raised on Tuesday by Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, the lawmakers on Wednesday said the directive became necessary “to curb the ongoing practice of Statutory Corporations of the Federal Government spending funds without the approval of the National Assembly, in-line with Sections 21(1), (2) and (3) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.”
Continuing, the Senate said the action “is in line with the current anti-corruption fight of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government. This is because it limits the discretionary spending of public funds by the heads of government parastatals and agencies.”
The agencies accused of allegedly shielding their annual spending plans from scrutiny include the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which enjoins autonomy; the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC); Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC); Nigeria Customs Service (NCS); Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); National Communications Commission (NCC); and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
Others are:

1. National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASEI)
2. Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)
3. Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC)
4. National Maritime Authority (NMA)
5. Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC),
6. National Sugar Development Council (NSDC)
7. Nigerian Postal Service (NPS)
8. Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC)
9. National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
10. National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
11. National Insurance Commission (NIC)
12. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
13. Nigerian Copyrights Commission (NCC)
14. Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)
15. Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)
16. Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS)
17. Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)
18. Radio Nigeria
19. Federal Housing Authority (FHA)
20. Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)
21. National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC)
22. Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA)
23. National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB)
24. Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria
25. National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA)
26. Industrial Training Fund (ITF)
27. Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)
28. Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGZFA)

Na’Allah had told his colleagues on Tuesday: “I deliberately decided that I will bring it on the floor, so that Senators will understand the implications. In our commitment to assist this government to fight corruption, we must stand on our feet that every spirit of our law must be obeyed by those holding public offices. I think that if you permit me, I will like to come tomorrow by way of motion, so it can be debated on the floor of the Senate.”

Sign In

Register

Reset Password

Please enter your username or email address, you will receive a link to create a new password via email.