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NASS Passes N7.44trn 2017 Budget
The National Assembly, yesterday, passed the long awaited 2017 Appropriation Bill of N7.441trillion as the lawmakers increased the general budget figure by N3billion.
The National Assembly has also released a breakdown of its 2017 Budget of N125billion, with additional N10 billion to NASS’ 2016 Budget of N115billion.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in December, 2016 presented a budget of N7.289 trillion to the National Assembly but the lawmakers increased the figures to N7.441trillion, indicating about N143billion increase.
Details of the N143 billion increase in the budget figures shows that the National Assembly increased the budgetary allocation of the Amnesty programme (Niger Delta Development Commission) by N10billion while the lawmakers also hiked its own budget by N10billion.
The National Assembly also through the additional allocations in the budget initiated the commencement and completion of the second Abuja airport runway which was not initially in the budget at the cost N10billion, while it also enlarged the budget for road project construction across the country by N25billion.
The budget figures for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) also received more funds as presented by the executive while the lawmakers in this budget initiated the renovation of the Abeokuta Airport construction of the Warri-Aladja railway line, among others.
Details of the budget indicates that out of the N7.441,175,486,758 trillion passed by the National Assembly, N2,177,866,775,867 trillion is for capital projects, while N434,412,950,249 billion is for statutory transfer.
Also, the sum of N1,841,345,727,206 trillion is for debt services, while N177,460,296,707 billion is for sinking fund, just as N2.987,550,033,436 is for recurrent (non debt) expenditure.
The statutory transfer is broken down in the budget by which N100 billion is allocated to the National Judicial Council (NJC), while N64,023,554,666 billion is allocated to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Similarly, N95,189,395,583 billion was allocated to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), while National Assembly allocated to itself the sum of N125 billion, even as the public complaint commission got N4 billion.
While the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) got N45billion, the National Human Rights Commission got N1,2000,000,000 billion.
The lawmakers budgeted N1,488,002,436,547 trillion is for domestic debt services, while N175,882,993,952 is for foreign debt services, making a total of N1,663,885,430,499.
On the personnel aspect of the recurrent expenditure, the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation was allocated N 2,693,253,521 billion, while Ministry of Budget and National Planning was allocated N8,843,198,998 billion, and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was allocated N31,752,144,051 billion for personnel expenditure.
Also, the Ministry of Defence was allocated N330,543,309,223 billion, while the Federal Ministry of Education got an allocation of N398,686,819,418 billion, even as the Federal Ministry of Environment was allocated N16,108,983,841billion for personnel expenditure.
The Federal Ministry of Finance was allocated N9,521,555,393 billion, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was allocated N56,424,094,037billion, and the Federal Ministry of Health was allocated N252,854,396,662billion, and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment got N10,797,165,779 billion for personnel expenditure.
Also, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture was allocated N40,821,093,321billion, while Federal Ministry of Interior was allocated N472,597,817,561billion, and the Federal Ministry of Justice got N21,038,344,711billion, even as the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment got N8,626,186,611billion for personnel expenditure.
The Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development got N10,385,055,182 billion, Federal Ministry of Niger Delta got N1,764,382,365 billion, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources got N63,222,101,051billion, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology got N27,785,074,208 billion, the Federal Ministry of Transportation got N14,810,103,581billion for personnel expenditure.
In the same vein, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources was allocated N7,301,176,944 billion, while the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs was allocated N1,466,534,201billion, and the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing got N32,821,929,055billion, and the
Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development got N89,316,015,167billion for personnel expenditure.
While the Fiscal Responsibility Commission was allocated N332,848,038billion, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) got N5,159,640,131billion, and the Infrastructure Concessionary and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) got N884,624,464billion, and the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology got N11,192,782,734billion, just as the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission was allocated N631,503,868 billion for personnel expenditure.
Also, the Office of the National Security Adviser got N76,281,025,653billion, while the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation was allocated N6,652,280,969billion, and the State House was allocated N22,947,666,215 and the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) got N51,933,366,906billion for personnel expenditure.
In the Capital Supplementation, a total Allocation of N310,037,229,460 billion was approved, of which the GIFMIS/IPPIS Capital budget is N5billion, while OSSAP- SDGs (Special Projects) got N9billion, and OSSAP-SDGs (Conditional Grants) is N10billion, just as OSSAP-SDGs (Social Safety Nets) is N15,902,000,000 billion, Capital Exigencies/Adjustment to Capital Cost N5billion.
The National Development Plans (Ministry of Budget and National Planning)N 1,000,000,000, Head of Service (Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board) 1,000,000,000, Zonal Intervention Projects N100,000,000,000, North-East Intervention Fund N45,000,000,000, Counterpart Funding Including Global Fund/Health 3,500,000,000.
Also, the Payment of Local Contractors’ Debts/Other Liabilities had N20,000,000,000, Galaxy Backbone had N4,000,000,000 Contingency (Capital) N10,000,000,000, Recapitalisation of Development Finance Institutions N15,000,000,000.
Subscriptions to Shares in International Organisations N28,635,229,460, SDG: Special Intervention Project N1 12,000,000,000, SDG: Special Intervention Project N2 8,000,000,000, Facilities and Technical Services N14,500,000,000.
Implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and Establishment of Delivery Unit at the Presidency hot N2,500,000,000, while the total Capital Supplementation is N310,037,229,460, and the Capital in FGN Special Intervention Programme is N150,000,000,000.
Just before the passage of the bill, the Lawmakers commended the committee and the entire red chamber for coming up with a detailed Appropriation Bill; the first of it’s kind since 1999.
Speaking earlier on the generality of the Budget, Senate Minority leader Godswill Akpabio commended the senate for doing a thorough job.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.