Reps Eject Ministry’s Budget for Lack of Transparency

The House of Representatives Committee on Telecommunications on Thursday rejected the proposed 2017 budget for Ministry of Communications’ over alleged lack of transparency.

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Saheed Akinade Fijabi, noted that the proposal would not considered without a satisfactory explanation on how the over N3 billion, released to the ministry 2016 budget was expended.
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The Committee also resolved to conduct an oversight function on activities of the ministry next week so as to have first hand information of the projects executed by the ministry.

Members became furious when the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, stated that the ministry is yet to pay the sum N20 million as cleaning services, sewage charges and electricity bills.

The Minister, while giving detail of how the ministry spent the 2016 budget, said that the capital appropriation was N4.9 billion, while the actual amount released was N3.09 billion, adding that the total expenditure/amount accessed was N3.03billion.

Shittu explained that six about projects budgeted for in the 2016 Appropriation Act have been completed, while six other projects were above 70 per cent completion.

He added that14 projects are below 70 per cent completion and 23 projects not implemented at all, making a total of 49 projects.

“The 2016 Personnel Cost Appropriation was found to be inadequate to meet salary obligations as the Ministry was unable to settle salaries of its staff for the last three (3) months of the year 2016. However, the liability was eventually cleared by the end of that year. The Ministry has successfully implemented five (5) annual budgets for the fiscal years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. It has concluded implementing the 2016 budget except for the capital segment, which implementation is rolled over till March 2017,” he said.

Shittu added that; “The low level of releases adversely affected the activities of the Ministry as obligations from essential services such as electricity, sewage, cleaning, security etc could not be adequately met. Consequently, total outstanding liabilities incurred on these services as at the end of 2016 stood at N20,056,449.10. N4.2million indebted to electricity, N2million sewage charges and N13million cleaning services.

Members of the Committee who were not persuaded by the ministers explanation raised questions about the 2016 budget implementation.

Shittu however mandated the Permanent Secretary, Architect Sonny Echono, to answer the question, as he said the Permanent Secretary is the chief accounting officer while himself, as the minister only gives policy direction.

The committee demanded a detailed record of travelling, welfare, sporting activities, training and employment in the ministry.

The minister was also asked to give detail of staff involved in the training, the contract and the contractors that carried out the training and the amount spent.

The Permanent Secretary, who gave some detail of how the 2016 budget was spent promised to furnish the lawmakers with documents.