Niger Delta Ministry’s budget defence held in secret

The 2021 budget defence of the Ministry of Niger Delta was done in secret on Tuesday at the National Assembly.

The moment the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, presented a synopsis of the 2021 budget, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Senator Nwaoboshi, asked journalists present to leave the venue.

This prevented journalists from witnessing the budget defence of the ministry by Akpabio, who was in company with the Minister of State, Senator Tayo Alasoadura.

Akpabio had said a lack of funds was hampering the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari for the Niger Delta region.

He lamented gross inadequate and dwindling budgetary allocation and releases over the years.

The minister, who solicited the assistance of the committee in jerking up the ministry’s budgetary allocation, said the paucity of funds was responsible for a plethora of abandoned and uncompleted projects in the region.

According to him, the N26.5 billion is meagre and significantly inadequate in the face of the mandate and goals of the ministry to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people of the Niger Delta region.

He said, “The capital estimate reveals that the sum of N15,,000,000,000 out of N19,533,720,033 for capital infrastructure project was allocated to the East-West Road (Sections I- IV) alone, on the order of Mr. President. This leaves N4,533,720,033 for the other infrastructural projects.”

He lamented that gross inadequate funding had led to the derailment of the programmes of engagement of youths and women of the region, reduced training for knowledge acquisition, poor performance, and protracted delay in project delivery and intermittent disruption by youths who chase away contractors from sites.

He added, “Mr. Chairman, distinguished members, arising from the dwindling budgetary allocation and the increasing level of outstanding liabilities, we wish to solicit additional funding to enables the Ministry to deliver on Mr. President’s mandate for the Niger Delta region.”

Giving a breakdown of the 2020 budget performance, the minister said N23.45 billion was approved after the national budget was amended due to the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.