There was a mild drama in the Senate on Thursday when federal lawmakers put the economic team of President Bola Tinubu’s government on the spot again over the performance of the 2024 budget.
The team, led by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, was asked to explain details of the funds saved by the federal government from the fuel subsidy removal and amount so far spent on debt servicing.
A member of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, Senator Abdul Ningi, fired the barrage of questions.
Ningi put Edun on the spot when he asked the minister to explain how proceeds from fuel subsidy removal were spent in the 2024 fiscal year.
Ningi said, “What is the budget performance so far in the 2024 fiscal year, particularly in terms of the capital expenditure. We haven’t heard from the minister how much has been saved from the removal of fuel subsidy and how much has been expended.
“We also haven’t heard from the minister about the debt servicing. How much have we actually used to service our debts in 2004? How much are we expecting to service the debt in 2005?
“Finally, will the Minister of Finance guarantee that the extension of the capital component of the 2024 budget to June 30, 2025, will guarantee the desired results in terms of implementation that currently has a very low percentage?”
But obviously uncomfortable answering the questions in the presence of journalists, Edun pleaded with the senators to allow him to provide detailed answers to the questions behind closed doors.
Edun said: “Are we in a closed door session? If we are not in a closed door session, I will humbly seek one so as to provide detailed explanations to the questions asked.”
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Solomon Adeola, sought the understanding of his colleagues to allow the minister to provide the answers in a close session.
He therefore asked the journalists to excuse them so that they could continue their deliberations behind closed doors.
Edun; the Minister of Budget, Economic planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu and other members of the Economic team appeared before the panel.
However, in another development, the Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu and his counterpart in the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ali Mohammed Ali, also encountered similar situation when they appeared before the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation.
They were asked to go and reconcile disjointed figures presented in the 2024 budget implementation before coming for appropriation of their projected figures for 2025 fiscal year.
The panel, which appeared not to be satisfied with the estimates supplied by the two agencies, asked their Chief Executives to re-draft and re-present their budgetary proposals for 2025 fiscal year.
The committee chaired by Senator Kenneth Eze ( APC Ebonyi Central), tackled the NOA DG on the National Identity Project being implemented by the agency by saying the project was not known to Nigerians , particularly those residing at the grassroots.
The NOA DG explained to the committee members that the project is very necessary in putting in place the right value system .
“The challenge we have about the value system is about National Identity which is very necessary at galvanising Nigerians for Nation building, national development and growth,” Issa-Onilu explained.
The Committee however insisted that he should go back for re-drafting programmes of the agency to be captured and appropriated for, in the 2025 fiscal year.
Sunday Aborisade
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