John Ameh, Abuja
The 2018 budget defence of the Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative was stalled on Monday after members of the House of Representatives turned back the Executive Vice-Chairman of the committee, Mr. Tijjani Tumsah.
Tumsah had appeared before the House Committee on Internally Displaced Persons, chaired by an All Progressives Congress member from Jigawa State, Mr. Sani Zorro, for the defence.
The PCNI, an intervention body set up by the Presidency to attend to the welfare of IDPs in the North-East, has a budget of N45bn in 2018.
The same figure was appropriated in 2017.
But, members discovered that Tumsah came to the meeting on the 2018 estimates without including the details of how the 2017 version was utilised.
Members immediately queried the presentation and asked Tumsah to take his documents back.
Tumsah had claimed that he was unaware of the formal procedure for budget defence.
His excuse got members angry as they advised him against treating the National Assembly with levity.
Summing up the feelings of members, Zorro stated, “Despite making it clear in our letter of December 6, 2017, what was required of you to present to the committee, it is unfortunate that the EVC has no details of the 2017 budget performance, a prerequisite for the presentation of the 2018 budget.
“Without the 2017 budget performance details, there is no way we can work on the 2018 budget.
“Please, when you are coming on Monday (next week), be equipped.
“Give us comprehensive information; this is appearing to be a trend because the last engagement we had with PCNI, you came blank, unprepared and you can’t explain how N45bn was spent.”
Tumsah promised to come prepared next time and exited the venue.
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Source: Punch
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