The Senate has directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) towards ensuring that it carries out even distribution of funds appropriated for emergency operations across the six geo-political zones in the country. The directive was made by Clever Ikisikpo, chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties, at the ongoing budget defence session in Abuja.
Ikisikpo, who frowned at the lopsided allocation of funds proposed for the agency’s operation in the 2015 budget proposal, cautioned NEMA to introduce an even distribution in subsequent budget proposals. According to the committee chairman, the decision by the agency to embark on skewed allocation of funds for emergency operations across the country is counterproductive and against national interest.
He said, “The agency must from now ensure that when given an envelope, you should distribute the envelope equally to all the zones in the country.“In a situation where this is not done, it will amount to working against the interest of the nation, and it will not encourage unity.
“We are all Nigerians, and all the zones should benefit from the envelope. Make sure that when you are distributing, all zones must be made to benefit.” Earlier, a member of the committee, Ahmad Lawan, who expressed dissatisfaction at the agency’s 2015 budget proposal over its lopsided distribution of funds that left the North East out of the equation, warned that should nothing be done by NEMA to address the situation, the National Assembly would have no alternative but to make the necessary adjustments to correct the skewed imbalance.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
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