2023 Budget: Senate summons Finance Minister over N147bn multilateral/billateral project in Power Ministry

 

.INEC to spend N355bn

.FG owes contractors  N956bn  for outstanding liabilities on road, housing projects- Fashola

 

Adekunle Adesuji

 

Senate Committee on Power has summoned Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed over N147 billion included in the capital project of Ministry of power.

 

 

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Gabriel Suswan who invited the Minister during the budget defence of Ministry of Power  claimed that the Committee can’t explain how the fund for the Billateral/ Multilateral project in power sector is being expended .

 

Suswan said, ” the actual capital l budget of the Ministry of power for the 2023 is N44 billion while N147 billion is meant for Billateral and Multilateral.

 

 

” We can’t explain how they are expended , you can’t lay your hand on the projects,  we cannot oversight it, the ministry of power does not know about it.

 

“We are inviting Minister of Finance to come and explain to us, the money has been put in the budget year in, year out.”

 

 

The Minister of Power presented a budget of N250 billion for the Ministry.

 

Meanwhile,The Independent National Electoral Commission will spend N355 billion in 2023 for general elections and annual budget .

 

Already, N305 billion has been approved for the conduct of the 2023 general elections by the National Assembly.

 

But, the Electoral body has budgeted another N50 billion for its annual budget in 2023, an increament of N10 billion compare to 2022 budget which was N40 billion as approved by the National Assembly.

 

In the 2023 budgeted submitted to the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters for consideration, N2.6 billion was earnmarked for off season election like Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa Governorship elections .

 

The elections for the three states will hold on November 11, 2023.

 

According to INEC, the N2.6 billion will cater for provision for elections , referenda and recalls expenses such as : Operation dept cost covering , printing of ballot papers, result sheets , printing of forms and Envelopes ,arterials and supplies , logistics expenses , honorarium for officials , supervison, RAC preparation, security /intervention support etc

 

 

” Election ICT system support, printing of voters register for off season and bye elections , F$A Election fund management logistic.”

 

 

In the 2023 Budget of the agency, N50 million will be spent to buy fire fighting equipment, motor Vehicles – N150 million, N250 million to repeat offices and residential building

 

 

Also, The Minister of Works and Housing , Babatunde Fashola has disclosed that outstanding liabilities owed contractors handling road and housing projects across the country stands at N956billion as at September 2022.

 

 

Fashola who made this known on Wednesday at separate  2023 budget defence sessions  with the Senate Committees  on Works and Housing , also lamented over drastic budget cuts earmarked for the two sectors in the 2023 fiscal year .

 

 

He told the lawnmakers that out of the N956billion outstanding liabilities , the federal government is owing contractors handling the National Housing Scheme N191.75billion  while the remaining balance of N765billion is owed contractorls handling road projects across the country  from the total contract value of N10.4trillion .

 

 

 

Speaking before  the Senate Committee on Housing , Fashola said the National Housing Project which started in 2016 has been executed in 35 out of 36 states of the federation with 1,250 contractors .

 

 

Fashola said, ”The 6, 000 Housing units he added , has created 46 construction sites across the country , 29, 030 direct employment and 57, 874 indirect employment .

 

 

” The National Housing Project is very much on course but the problems  of paucity of fund through drastic budget slash and outstanding liabilities of N191.75billion , need to be urgently looked into .

 

 

” In 2022 fiscal year , while the total capital votes for both Works and Housing Components of the Ministry was N441.18billion , the proposal made for 2023 fiscal year is N146billion .

 

 

” Out of the proposed N146billion as capital expenditure for the entire Ministry in 2023 fiscal year , only N45billion is earmarked for Housing sector.’

 

Also at the budget defence of Senate Committee on Works, Minister said : ” The main challenge to highways development in the country remains inadequate funding .

 

 

” As at date , government is committed to highway contractors to the tune of about N10.4trillion while a total of about N765billion are unpaid certificates for executed works .

 

 

” Secondly , the shortage of younger Engineers / Technical officers in the Ministry as a result of embargo on employment is affecting proficient project supervision at the sites “.

 

 

However , Chairmen and members of the committees , commended the Minister for series of roads and Housing projects executed across the country in the face of scarce resources and other challenges .

 

 

 

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Housing , Senator Sam Egwu told the Minister to use the proposed N45billion capital votes in the 2023 budget to complete the remaining 3,000 units of the 6,000 units National Housing Project .

 

 

At the Committee on Works , headed by Senator Adamu Aliero ( PDP Kebbi Central) , the Minister was tasked on ensuring completion of 2nd Niger Bridge this year and the critical road projects he highlighted .