The Senate yesterday, directed its Committee on Finance to, as a matter of urgency, summon the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama and Ministers of Finance Mrs Okonjo0Iweala, to appear before it to defend comments on budget credited to Ngama.
Ngama had allegedly said that the 2013 budget was no longer implementable due to what he called “over-bloated revenue estimates by the National Assembly”.
The Senate also said it was awaiting the Accountant-General of the Federation to present before it, the various monies released in the on-going year for ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, in accordance with clauses 6 and 9 of the 2013 Appropriation Act.
The development came even as Senate President, David Mark blamed the various committees for not doing enough to monitor budget performances by the executive arm of government.
The Senate which deliberated the issue at its plenary, mandated Committees on Finance and Appropriation to immediately summon Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as well as the Ministry of State, Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama to appear before it to give explanation and submit its report within three weeks.
The summon followed a motion to that effect, sponsored by the Senate Deputy Leader, Abdul Ningi, PDP, Bauchi Central, and 13 others praying the upper legislative chamber to probe the performance of the budget, with a view to critically assess the position of the nation’s economy.
In his lead debate, Senator Ningi said the minister’s statement was worrisome, as the National Assembly enactment guiding the implementation of the budget, most especially clause 6 of the 2013 Appropriation Act, stipulates that the “Minister of Finance shall ensure that funds appropriated under the Act are released to the appropriate agencies and organs of government as at when due, provided that no funds for any quarter of the fiscal year shall be differed without prior waiver from the National Assembly”
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