By Musa Baba Adamu
As scrutiny of 2025 budget proposals commenced at the National Assembly, top government officials including Minster, Director Generals and other heads of MDAs are sweating it out at the Senate.
Some of the top officials already put on the spot light yesterday are the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, the Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA) Mallam Lanre Issa – Onilu and his counterpart in the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) , Ali Mohammed Ali.
While the Minister of Finance , Wale Edun and the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning , Senator Atiku Bagudu were put on hot seats by the Senate Committee on Appropriation, the DG of NOA and that of NAN, had very tough encounters with the Senate committee on Information and National Orientation .
It all started when the Minister of Finance received barrage of questions were fired at him by some members of the Appropriation committee on state of implementation of the 2024 budget , particularly the capital component .
Specifically , Senator Abdul Ningi ( PDP Baichi Central) , in the barrage of questions fired at the Minister , asked him to explain how proceeds from fuel subsidy removal were expended in the 2024 fiscal year .
“ What is the budget performance achieved so far , for 2024 fiscal year , particularly in terms of the capital expenditure.
We haven’t heard from the Minister how much has been saved from the removal of fuel subsidy and how much has been expended .
“We also haven’t heard from the Ministers about the debt servicing. How much have we actually used to service our debt in 2004?
“ How much are we expecting to service the debt in 2005? Finally ,will the Minister of Finance guarantee that the extension of the capital component of the 2024 budget to June 30, 2025 will give the desired results in terms of implementation that has a very low percentage now? “
Apparently unsettled by the question , the Minister hurriedly requested the committee to accord him a close door session for detailed response to the question .
“ Are we in a closed door session ? If we are not in a closed door session , i will humbly seek for that for detailed explanations on the questions asked “, he said .
The Committee Chairman , Senator Solomon Olamilekan ( APC Ogun West ) , according asked journalists to excuse them for the closed door session.
Earlier at the budget defence session the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation had with agencies under its purview , the Director General of National Orientation Agency ( NOA) , Mallam Issa – Onilu and his counterpart in the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) Ali Mohammed Ali , were ordered to re – draft and re – present their budgetary proposals for 2025 fiscal year .
The Committee chaired by Senator Kenneth Eze ( APC Ebonyi Central), tackled the NOA DG on the National Identity Project being implemented by the Agency by saying the project is not known to Nigerians , particularly, those residing at the grassroots .
But the NOA DG , held his ground by telling the committee members that the project is very necessary in putting in place , the right value system.
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