Senate Summons Finance Minister Over Insertion Of N206bn Into Humanitarian Affairs Budget

The Nigerian Senate has summoned the minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed, over the insertion of N206 billion into the 2023 budget of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

NewsBeatng reports that the minister was summoned by the Senate Committee on Special Duties, chaired by Sen. Yusuf Yusuf on Monday during a meeting with Sadiya Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs on the ministry’s 2023 budget defence.

The humanitarian minister said the money was for projects in 2022, but was not released and now recurring by almost 10-fold.

The Senate Committee wanted to know why the N206 billion in the budget needed to be borrowed, stating that “In 2023, you intend to borrow N206 billion for a project. What are the projects to be implemented and is it captured in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework? If it is, what are the specific project locations and activities attached to this?”

Farouq responded “Yes, we made mention of the projects for 2022, which were not released and part of it was part for the North East Development Commission (NEDC). The money was not released and now we have seen it recurring by almost 10 fold.

“We are also going to clarify from the ministry of finance to know why this increase in spite of the fact that the previous year, the money was not even released for the project. So we will get the details and then send them to you on that.”

She added that the upscaling of the National Social Safety-net (NSSNP) projects under the National Social Safety-Net, the Condition Cash Transfer, the updating of the National Social Register and the Rapid Response Register (RRR) are to cushion the effect of inflation.

She noted that the amount is going to be utilised because it is something that was negotiated between the ministry of finance and the World Bank.

The chairman of the committee approved the motion to summon the minister of finance to explain the increased N206 billion.