The National Assembly has summoned Wale Edun, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy; Atiku Bagudu, the minister of budget and economic planning; and Tanimu Yakubu, the Director-General of the budget office, over the insufficient budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Solid Minerals in the 2025 fiscal year.
The decision to summon them was made by the Assembly’s Joint Committee on Solid Minerals after Senator Bagudu failed to appear before the committee last Wednesday as directed.
During the previous session, when Dele Alake, the minister of solid minerals, presented the ministry’s 2025 budget proposal, the committee, led by Sampson Ekong (PDP, Akwa Ibom South), expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed ₦9 billion capital allocation.
The committee subsequently rejected the proposal and requested Senator Bagudu’s presence to address the concerns.
Bagudu’s failure to attend, coupled with Alake’s complaints about the unfruitful efforts to secure an upward review of the allocation, prompted the committee to include the Director-General of the Budget Office in the summons.
The summoned officials are expected to appear before the committee at 3 pm on Tuesday.
Expressing their dissatisfaction, Ekong stated, “We commend the Minister of Solid Minerals for his attempts to have the allocation reviewed.
“However, it is disappointing that no changes have been made despite assurances from the Ministers of Finance and Budget as well as the DG Budget Office. Solid minerals are crucial to diversifying our economy, and ₦9 billion is grossly inadequate for such a vital sector.”
Read also: Nigeria’s $20bn budget lags global peers, can’t fast-track development – Bagudu
Earlier, Minister Dele Alake detailed his efforts to secure additional funding for the ministry before President Bola Tinubu presented the ₦49.7 trillion 2025 budget to the National Assembly on December 18, 2024.
He explained that meetings with the President, Ministers of Finance and Budget, and the DG of the Budget Office yielded promises but no tangible outcomes.
“Despite repeated assurances from all parties, the ₦9 billion allocation remains unchanged,” Alake lamented.
Reacting to this, Kama Nkemkanma, a member of the committee from Delta State, criticized the 2025 budget, describing it as sabotaging critical sectors of the economy.
“The affected officials must appear before this committee as resolved,” he said.
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