Senate appraises 2016 housing sector budget implementation

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Senate Committee on Lands, Housing and Urban Development has appraise the level of implementation of the 2016 budgetary provision of the Ministry of Housing .
The disclosure was made during the committee ‘s oversight visit to the Ministry’s Headquarters in Abuja .
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola,who was represented by the Minister of State II, Surv. Suleiman Zarma, while receiving the Chairman of committee Senator Barnabas Gemade and other members of the committee appreciated committee for the oversight visit and solicited for their cooperation to guide and correct appropriately where necessary.
The Minister enjoined the Upper and Lower Chambers of the National Assembly to work in synergy on the implementation of Special Intervention of Constituency Projects in their various localities.
Responding, the Chairman Senate Committee on Lands, Housing and Urban Development Sen. Barnabas Gemade said that the Committee has paid similar visits to Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and Federal Housing Authority (FHA) as Agencies under the supervision of the Ministry, stating the need for higher support to boost their operations in order to achieve their mandates.
The Permanent Secretary (Works & Housing) Mohammed Bukar informed the Senate Committee that presentation of the 2016 budget implantation reports are segmented into seven parts and presented by directors and heads of the various units as follows: 2016 Budget Performance by the Director (Finance & Accounts), National Housing Programme by Director (Public Building), Provision of Infrastructure to the National Housing Programme by Director (Construction).
The Committee also took time to asked questions and clarifications on some grey areas of the budget implementation and necessary recommendations were made by the law makers for further improvement in subsequent budgetary provisions.
Meanwhile,This is however the first time the Committee is visiting the Ministry to carry over its constitutional responsibilities of oversight of the Ministry’s operations of year 2016.