The House of Representatives has called on the executive arm of government to ensure timely release of appropriated funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to enable them fulfil their mandates.
This is just as the lower chamber of the National Assembly said 80% of the power and electricity supply in the country should be source from alternative and renewable energy.
Chairman of the House Committee on Science Technology, Beni Lar (PDP, Plateau) made these calls when she led members of the Committee on oversight visits to the Nigerian Energy Commission, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure and Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), all in Abuja.
She stated that hence the 9th Assembly
returned the budget cycle from January to December, the executive should also make quick releases, lamenting that non releases, especially of capital allocations is the main challenge confronting MDAs in their operations.
The lawmaker said: “They should please ensure that releases are made by February/March; first quarter releases, second quarter, third quarter so that by the time we come on oversight such as now that we on oversight in October, the budget should have almost been completed. It should have been 80% or 90% complete.
“So our major problem like the Speaker said on the floor of the House is non release of capital allocations and like we said lack of budget implementation is also a crime. So let us try and work on that as a people and as a government”.
She also suggested that alternative source of power should be harnessed
from wind which is available in the North-Western state of Sokoto and solar power in Plateau and other places.
Lar noted that Nigeria should become the next great China in Africa and should be competing with China, stressing that as the country is developing its own technology there was no reason to rely on importation.
“There is no need for us to rely on importaion of any material whatsoever. We have all raw materials in any sector in this country, whether it is infrastructure, whether it is in engineering, whether it is in medicine, whether it is in plant technology, whether it is in agriculture. All the machines can be fabricated here and made here with our human resources. We have seen the capacity, we have seen that we are making progress in technological advancement”.
“The whole purpose (of the visit) is to ensure that we meet the mandate of the Ministry which is promoting our own local indigenous technology. Nigeria has some of the best crop of scientists and technologists around the world and we are blessed with the human resources”.
Heads of the Agencies visited appealed for improved funding as the National Assembly begins consideration of the 2021 budget to enable them overcome their main challenge which is paucity of funds to discharge their constitional mandates.
In his request to the Committee, Acting Director-General of NBRRI, Samsom Duna said: “Basically we have a laboratory that is still not equipped in terms of facilities. We plead that if money is made available we can equip our transportation laboratory where we are in need of facilities”.
