The Ministry of Transportation may not get 2017 budget allocation according to the four committees of the
House of Representatives on Tuesday stated that the Federal Ministry of Transportation headed by Rotimi Amaechi may not get 2017 budget allocation.
They are Committees on Aviation; Land Transport; Maritime Safety
and Administration; Ports, Harbours and Waterways.
The committees, which visited the ministry’s headquarters in
Abuja on oversight function, threatened to give zero allocation to the ministry
in 2017.
Mohammed Bago, the Chairman, Committee on Maritime Safety and
Administration, said that the ministry presented different documents to the
committees which did not contain facts.
He said that the ministry had received N243 billion and had yet
to spend it, adding that if the money was not used before the end of the month,
it would receive zero allocation in 2017.
“The different positions made to the committee of the house on
both land transport, ports and harbour, maritime safety and administration as
well as aviation has varied.
“We have received three different documents till date and all of
them are not consistent and that is why we have asked for a new document to
ascertain the value of what this project is all about.
“We are not going to appropriate on this budget until we have
the fact and figure and if we do not have the facts and figure, the ministry of
transport will get zero allocation.
“They have received 243 billion and they have not spent it when
Ministry of Health needs money; people are dying of meningitis, Nigerian
soldiers are dying in Sambisa, no money to fund the soldiers.
“The ministry of transportation is sitting on billions of naira
released to it and was not utilized.’’
Dr. Patrick Asadu, Chairman of the Committee on Ports, Harbours
and Waterways, said that members were at the ministry to ensure that money
given to the ministry was well spent.
He said that the committee was not satisfied with the document
presented to it, adding that the money was not well spent.
“Our being here is to help the ministry to ensure that money
given to it was spent for what it was given for.
“But when this money is not well spent, we are not going to
release further money; we are trying to look at what happened in 2016 budget;
we are insisting that the ministry spends it or we give it to other agencies.”
Aminu Sani, Chairman, Committee on Land Transport, said the
budget presentation and performance presented before the joint committee was
not impressive.
He said most of the items presented in the document were not in
conformity with the expenditure.
According to him, the direct expenditure of the ministry was
zero performance in terms of budget implementation.
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