The Senate has accused some heads of ministries, departments and agencies of frustrating the enactment of the N8.612 trillion 2018 budget submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly on November 7, 2017.
The upper legislative chamber listed the heads of ministries and agencies to include: Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun; her Works, Power and Housing counterpart, Babatunde Fashola; Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation Minister); Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma as well as Information Minister, Lai Mohammed.
In a document made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, others listed as frustrating the quick enactment of the budget by the National Assembly include: Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; Adebayo Shittu (Communications); Adamu Adamu (Education); Mansur Dan-Ali (Defence); Isaac Adewale (Health); Kayode Fayemi (Solid Minerals); Godfrey Onyeama (Foreign Affairs); Okechuwku Enelamah (Trade and Investment).
Also listed are the acting chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu; National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno; Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu.
The legislative body insisted that the heads of MDAs were yet to conclude their 2018 budget defences before the various standing committees.
The document also listed committees saddled with the responsibility of entertaining the budget defences of the indicted agencies.
The committees yet to conclude their exercise as a result of non-appearance of heads of MDAs are Public Accounts, National Intelligence, Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Communications, Culture and Tourism, Defence, Education (Basic and Secondary), Finance and Foreign Affairs.
Other committees include Health, Housing, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Industries (Investment), Land Transport, National Planning, Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases, Privatisation, Science and Technology, Solid Minerals, Sports and Youth Development, Tertiary Education and TETFUND, Trade and Investment, Water Resources and Works.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has mandated chairmen of all standing committees to submit reports of their panels on the 2018 budget to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje.
Saraki gave Thursday, 29th of March, as deadline to submit the reports.
“This is to inform chairmen of all committees to as a matter of urgency, submit reports of their various panels on the 2018 budget to the chairman of the Senate committee on Appropriation.
“The reports should be submitted not earlier than Thursday, 22nd March and not later than Thursday, 29th March. I urge lawmakers to take this assignment very seriously,” Saraki ordered.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
