Uncompleted projects: Senate rejects Niger Delta’s budget proposal

Capital budget of N23 billion for the  Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in the 2020 Appropriations, was on Monday rejected by the Senate due to several uncompleted projects in the region.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Senator  Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP Delta North), made this known when the Minister, Senator God’swill Akpabio appeared before the committee to defend the ministry’s  budget of N25, 910,486,285.

Consequently the ministry is to reappear before the Committee on Monday next week, Oct. 28, 2019 .

Nwaboshi said that with the oversight function carried out in the ministry, it was realised that the bane of the ministry was abandoned projects littered all over the nine states.

“There is no state, I dare to say that there is no local government where there is no abandoned projects in the Niger Delta.

“We cannot continue like that. With all the abandoned projects in the Niger Delta and we are talking about new projects; these new projects are designed to fail.

“Honourable minister, we need to look at this budget again and we expect you to do your cleanup because the document  we needed were not supplied to us.”he said .

Senator Sandy Ojang (PDP Cross River Central) said that “we just look at the presentation and we are faced again with the vanity of having a budget and almost through the budget year, there are no capital releases.

“It calls for concern and deep worry. In a budget situation where the capital outlay is even lower than personnel and other cost is an issue.

“But to speak of a situation where nothing is released for capital is tragedy,” Ojang said.

He called for a collective effort by the legislature and the  executive to ensure putting in place a credible budget document.

The minister, Akpabio said that in 2019, N35. 2 billion and N877 million were allocated to the Ministry of Niger Delta for Capital and Overhead Expenditure.

He decried that out of the capital appropriation of N35.2 billion, no fund had been received for capital.

“A total budget proposal of the sum of N25.9 billion was allocated to the ministry, personnel; N1,14 billion overhead; N877 million and capital N23.8 billion.”

While reacting to the rejection of the budget by the committee members, Akpabio said that the budget “was not rejected.

His words : “The senators feel that there ought to be completion of major projects that are already in the Niger Delta.

“I agree with them but unfortunately, we are working under a very tight envelope.

“The ministry was allocated the sum of about N23 billion and 60 per cent of it will go to already existing projects in the region and so 40 per cent will go to probably new projects in the region.

“So if you look at it very well, it is not possible for you to capture all projects with that amount and it is not even going to be possible to complete even 10 kilometers of road in the region.

“So I think instead of saying that the budget was rejected, I think that the distinguished senators should collectively make an appeal to the minister of finance, budget and national planning to improve upon the envelope to expand it a little.”

This, the minister added , could help to capture at least substantially most of the yearnings and aspirations of  the good people of the Niger Delta.