Across the length and breadth of Nigeria, here are the biggest stories around Nigeria’s legislators and the institution of parliament you mustn’t miss this Monday:
2023 Budget: Police Budget proposal slashed by N92.9bn amidst insecurity challenge
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has lamented the reduction of its proposed budget by the Budget Office of the Federation by almost ninety-three billion naira; warning of its impact on the security agency and consequences for the country.
In a presentation made to the National Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, noted that their proposal was slashed from N889,681,595,517.74 to N796,785,034,379.56, blaming the reduction largely on the envelope budgeting system of the government.
As reported by PUNCH, the IGP, who urged the National Assembly to exclude the NPF from it, appealed to the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Police Affairs on Tuesday while defending the NPF proposed budget in the 2023 Appropriation Bill behind closed doors.
“Sixty-three agencies spent N2trn illegally” – Reps
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives has summoned 63 agencies of the Federal Government for questioning; over what it alleges to be an implementation of unauthorised expenditure amounting to N2 trillion
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Oluwole Oke, who issued the summons, noted that its investigation showed that there were no statutory approval of the budgets by the National Assembly.
The lawmaker also wrote a letter to the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze on November 8, 2022, requesting evidence of budget approvals by the National Assembly.
Senate insists on COREN’s removal from the 2023 Budget
The Senate Committee on Works has said there is no going back on its decision to remove the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) from the 2023 Budget.
As reported by THISDAY Sunday, a Council member, while explaining on the condition of anonymity, hinted that the decision bothers on COREN’s inability to remit any money to the Federation Account since the exit from office of its former Registrar on March 15, 2022.
The Senate Committee on Works, chaired by Senator Adamu Aliero, had vowed to give the professional body zero allocation in the 2023 fiscal year.
Senate queries NEITI over N960m Personnel Cost for 43 Staff Members in 2022
The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) has queried the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) over N960 million personnel cost in the 2022 budget for 43 staff members.
Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya, had appeared before the Public Accounts Panel to present his 2023 Budget. In presenting the budget, Dr Orji read the 2022 budget performance to the Committee, stating that the personnel cost of the agency was N960 million while the overhead cost was N760.9 million. He also put the capital budget at N344 million.
“You have only taken 51 per cent of your personnel cost in November. Your personnel cost is too high; you have only two months, and you have just collected 51 percent of your personnel cost. This is one case of a personnel budget over-bloated. What we are saying is that it is systemic leakage. We will reduce your personnel cost to less than N500 million,” Senator Matthew Urhoghide, Chair of the SPAC, added.
Reps Majority Leader apologises to journalist over alleged assault
The Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa, has tendered a public apology to a Kano Leadership Newspaper correspondent, Abdullahi Yakubu, for allegedly assaulting him.
Doguwa, who represents Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency, had been dragged by the journalist before a Kano Magistrate Court over an alleged assault he suffered during a press conference at the lawmaker’s residence.
The press conference was held at the House Leader’s instance as an avenue to clear the air after he was accused of gate-crashing into a recent All Progressives Congress (APC) Stakeholders meeting in Kano, which ended acrimoniously.
Ojochenemi Onje-James
Ojochenemi Onje-James is a research writer and journalist with years of proven footprints in areas of crime and politics. She has a M.Sc in International Relations and Strategic Studies as well as a B.Sc in Mass Communication.
