REPRESENTATIVES REQUEST ITEMIZATION OF N1.48 TRILLION RIVERS BUDGET, INQUIRE ABOUT N24 BILLION FOR CCTV CAMERAS
Read Time:2 Minute, 18 Second
By Jenn Nomamiukor
The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Rivers has delivered a 48-hour deadline to the Sole Administration of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok-Eke Ibas (retd. ), to provide a detailed account of significant components in the 2025 N1.48 trillion Appropriation Bill.
The Chairperson of the committee, Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo), delivered the ultimatum on Monday during a budget defense session in Abuja. He said that the committee had gone through the budget as presented by the sole administrator and had raised several issues.
He stated that the administrator ought to present the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), which is an official document that must precede budget presentation.
Ihonvbere, who serves as the Majority Leader of the House, questioned the allocation of N24 billion for the installation of CCTV cameras at the state government house, requesting a detailed breakdown.
He also queried the allocation of N30 billion for the purchase of gunboats and N23 billion earmarked for contingency reserves, requesting justification for the sum.
The chairman stated that the committee also monitored and inquired into the distribution of state resources to ongoing federal initiatives without consensus with the Federal Government, encompassing reimbursements, among others.
“We need additional details for those allocations. We request details of state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the last three months to enable us to know your financial flows so that we can weigh them against the deficit in the budget in terms of financing it and carrying out some of the projects.
“We also require information regarding allocations to local authorities, specifically, how the financial resources from local government entering the state are currently being administered,” Ihonvbere stated.
READ ALSO:
PDP COMPLETELY UNIFIED, WITHOUT DIVISIONS OR ALLIANCES – BALA MOHAMMED
The documents we have asked for must arrive within 48 hours; be assured that we are all aligned in our efforts to restore the rivers.
“We aim to guarantee that we will foster significant accountability and ensure that the interests of the individuals themselves, regardless of their distance from the state capital, are safeguarded,” he continued.
The lawmaker commended President Bola Tinubu for his intervention that brought about peace between the suspended Executive and Legislature in the state. Previously, Ibas, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant on Strategy and Policy, Andrew Nweke, clarified that the administration inherited numerous items within the budget.
According to him, the budget was a reflection of the interest of Rivers people as it was designed in line with the needs assessment carried out by the implementation agencies.
Nweke said that Rivers had a lot of peculiarities, saying that the N30 billion earmarked for gunboats was to support security agencies in their fight against insecurity on the waterways.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0