The House of Representatives on Thursday placed the sum of N1.4 billion revenue generated by Federal Ministry of Interior in 2017 under further inquiry.
Adams Jagaba, chairman and members of the House Committee on Interior who passed the resolution during 2017/2018 budget defence held at the National Assembly complex, Abuja, specifically chided the Ministry over “deliberate concealment of internally generated revenue (IGR), by the Federal Ministry of Interior for failing to include it in its 2017 budget performance report.”
The lawmakers also frowned at duplication of some line items which were procured in 2017 financial year such as computers and other accessories.
Meanwhile the Committee threatened to give zero allocation to the Ministry’s for its overhead expenditure in the 2018 budget proposal, if it fails to provide details of the revenue realized in 2017.
Worried by the development, the Committee requested for all documents/evidences of remittances of over N1 billion for legislative scrutiny, just as it urged Abdulrahman Danbazzau, Minister of Interior on the need to ensure that line items are properly aligned with current needs of the Ministry.
While reacting to the submission that the Ministry’s only source of revenue is citizenship registration for conferment, Jagaba informed the Director Finance & Administration who stood in for the Permanent Secretary that he has all the Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the Ministry and other agencies including Nigerian Immigration Service, hence warned against misleading the Parliament.
In his response, Danbazzau who argued that the Ministry incurred N400,000 outstanding liabilities on overhead cost in its previous budgets, noted that the Ministry’s supplier of gasoline refused to supply it due to huge debts owed.
According to the 2018 budget proposal submitted by the Ministry, total of N360.9 million as overhead cost while the sum of N1,64,866,499 was proposed for capital expenditure.
A breakdown of the proposal shows that N29.5 million is set aside for local travels, N18.8 million for international travels, N18.8 million for office stationeries and N2.8 million for printing of non-security documents.
Similarly, the sum of N16 million is to be used for clearing of weed and fumigation, another N16 million is for legal services, N5.2 million for publicity and advertisement while N4.5 million is for meals.
In his remarks, Jagaba and other members of the Committee queried the rationale behind the procurement of computers by the Ministry which they observed has become an annual ritual.
To this end, the Committee demanded for the receipts of purchase of computers appropriated for by the committee in 2017 Appropriation Act.
While ruling, Jagaba threatened that the committee resolved to invoke its veto powers under the law by denying approval for such purchases in 2018.
