Reps reject NPC budget over 1.9 billion spent on National Summit

• … query 118million website

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives committee on National population Commission has rejected the Commission budget over what it described as shallow presentation made by the agency on the sum of 1.9billion naira it expended for a National summit in 2021.

The Commmitte, equally questioned how the commission spent 118milliin naira on designing a website , over 5 billion naira for mock census, and 23million for welfare package.

According to members of the committee, the report brought before it by the commission was not detailed, therefore demanded that the commission must give a break down of how it spent 1.9billion on a national summit.

The committee sought to know how the 23million naira was spent on welfare package and who are the beneficiaries.

Taofeek Ajilesoro ife (osun) “We would like to know what type of welfare and who are the recipients of this N23 million.

In their explanation, the director of census Evelyn Olanipekun stated that out of the 1.9billion naira, over 129 million was expended on a one day summit organized at the presidential villa while 1.2 billion was used to organize summit in the 36 states.

Aso responding to the questions raised by the committee, the Federal commissioner (NPC), Bala Banye who represented the chairman of the commission, Nasir Kwarra explained that though the commission had submitted a detailed report to the committee of how the monies where spent so he would not be able to answer some questions concerning the funds verbally.

“ We have furnished the committee with a detailed report of the monies that where spent so I will not be able to give a verbal answer to your questions.

Speaking on the 1.2 billion spent by 36 States on the summit, he said some state where yet to conduct the summit.

Members of the committee who frowned at the commissions presentation unanimously rejected it’s 2022 budget performance demanding that the commission should go back and present the committee with a more detailed report on how the funds where spent

Rep. Gboluga İkengboju, (Ondo State) in his motion said “In view of the discrepancies that have not been able to justify by the Commission, we can not consider their budget let them go back and sort themselves out – moved the motion which was adopted.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ifeanyi Momah (APGA, Anambra) amended the motion urging the National Population Commission and National Census to make available all documents in  relation to the summit a day before it appears before the committee again.

Similarly,  the Committee rejected the 2023 budget proposal of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for excluding its 2022 personnel budget expenditure from the documents it submitted.

Director general of NIMC, Engr Aliyu Aziz, who appeared before the Committee had said the personnel budget in 2022 was N5.8 billion.

This was as NIMC requested N13 billion for personnel in the proposal it submitted.

The Committee directed Aziz to come back next week Tuesday with detailed documentation of the Commission’s budget performance.

“In view of the non disclosure of the personnel budget of 2022 which is allegedly put at N5.8 with over over 3, 782 personnel, and also the 2023 which I am seeing here that has over 13 billion, which is a long gap, Mr Chairman I hereby move that NIMC should leave and go and prepare a very exhaustible document that would detail the personnel budget of 2022, showing the nominal roll to see if the said personnel reflect Federal Character Principle,” Momah said.