N’Assembly doubts govt’s sincerity on N500bn social intervention scheme
By Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
At the defence of N180 billion virement from 2016 budget before the Joint National Assembly on Appropriation yesterday, agencies of government and Budget Office presented conflicting figures
President Muhammadu Buhari had on November 1, 2016 submitted a proposal for the virement of N180 billion from 2016, budget to the National Assembly for approval
At the defence of the proposal by relevant agencies yesterday, the figures presented by the agencies were at variance with the figures in the proposal.
For instance, while the president presented N19.792 billion budget for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the Director of Finance and Accounts in NYSC, Mr. AIB Adeleke, told the committee that the NYSC actually needed only N8.5 billion.
These conflicting figures shocked the committee Chairman, Senator Danjuma Goje, as he asked Adeleke if he was sure it was only N8.5 billion that was needed by NYSC. But Adeleke held on to his presentation that it was all the NYSC needed this time.
But a Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang, quickly left his seat to mutter some words into Adeleke’s ears just as the Director- General of Budget, Ben Akabueze, claimed that Adeleke did not get his figures right
Akabueze had claimed that NYSC earlier requested for N11.2 billion, insisting that the president had proposed N19.792 billion because he wanted to address both the outstanding and current needs of NYSC once and for all.
But the audience silently wondered if Akabueze was speaking the truth wondering how the Director of Finance of NYSC would not know what the Corps actually needed. However, it looked clear to everyone that the figures were obviously written without consultation with NYSC as Adeleke seemed to have presented all he appeared to have known that the scheme needed.
However, Adeleke who had insisted that all the NYSC needed was N8.5 billion, soon changed his mind after the claims made by Akabueze and probably by the words muttered into his ears as he soon said: “I agree with the submission of the DG Budget.”
On the other hand, Public Complaint Commission presented a higher figure than the one proposed for it in the virement proposal as the commission implored the committee to approve the sum of N2.5 billion as against N1.2 billion presented by the president.
In the same vein, the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme urged the committee to approve N35.2 billion as against N35 billion in the proposal.
that barely 40 days to the end of the 2016 fiscal year, the federal government had only spent less than N1 billion of the N500 billion Social Welfare Scheme approved in 2016 budget.
committee, Special Adviser to the President for Social Protection Plan, Mrs. Mariam Uwais, said since the budget was approved, a total of N25 billion had so far been released out of which she said less than N1 billion had been spent.
She expressed optimism that another N40 billion would be released before the end of the year adding that the some of N60 billion could eventually be spent before the year runs out.
“Out of the N500billion appropriated for the social intervention programme, we have not spent up to N1billion. We have been preparing, we have the framework in place but unfortunately, we did not get the release early enough. By the end of this month, we would have spent up to N60billion,” Uwais said.
However, the committee expressed shock that the Social Intervention Scheme which was a major campaign promise by the ruling All Progressives Congress (AC) was treated with perceived levity by the administration with only less than N1 billion of the whopping N500 billion budgeted by the administration spent so far.
Both the Appropriation Committee Chairmen of the Senate and the House of Representatives, Goje and Hon. Mustapha Bala Dawaki, doubted the sincerity of the executive arm of government towards implementing the scheme.
Goje said: “I don’t know if you are aware that this your agency is borne out of our campaign promises. And you’re here to say that you don’t need the money. You don’t need the balance of the money, you want it appropriated to other agencies. After we have promised the people that we are going to provide them money and the money would be sent to them. It’s quite sad.”

http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/11/22/presidency-govt-agencies-budget-office-present-conflicting-figures-on-n180bn-virement-2/

The spells and the chains of APC shall soon release the people and start working against the APC themselves.

Confussions everywhere, is this the same people that made us to believe that past adminstration was clueless?

Mrjo:
Confussions everywhere, is this the same people that made us to believe that past adminstration was clueless?

Buhari's APC govt of ineptitude is the real definition of kindergarten presidency

A SELF DECEIVING COUNTRY CALLED NIGERIA

Twenty-one senators currently receiving pensions from government as ex-governors and deputy governors.

The current senators who once served as governors are Bukola Saraki of Kwara, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano, Kabiru Gaya of Kano, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, Theodore Orji of Abia, Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa, Sam Egwu of Ebonyi, Shaaba Lafiagi of Kwara, Joshua Dariye of Plateau Jonah Jang of Plateau, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto, Ahmed Sani Yarima of Zamfara, Danjuma Goje of Gombe, Bukar Abba Ibrahim of Yobe, Adamu Aliero of Kebbi, George Akume of Benue and Isiaka Adeleke of Osun.

The former deputy governors in the Senate are Ms Biodun Olujimi of Ekiti and Enyinaya Harcourt Abaribe of Abia. Danladi Abubakar Sani served as the acting governor of Taraba state.

Many former governors are also in Buhari's Cabinet as Ministers. This includes: Ngige, Fayemi, Amaechi and Fashola (SAN).).

In Akwa Ibom State, the law provides that ex governors and deputy governors receive pension equivalent to the salaries of the incumbent. The package also includes a new official car and a utility vehicle every four years; one personal aide; a cook, chauffeurs and security guards for the governor at a sum not exceeding N5 million per month and N2.5 million for his deputy governor.

In Rivers, the law provides 100 percent of annual basic salaries for the ex-governor and deputy, one residential house for the former governor “anywhere of his choice in Nigeria”; one residential house anywhere in Rivers for the deputy, three cars for the ex-governor every four years and two cars for the deputy every four years.

It is alledged that in Lagos, a former governor will get two houses, one in Lagos and another in Abuja, estimated at N500 million in Lagos and N700 million in Abuja. He also receives six new cars to be replaced every three years; a furniture allowance of 300 percent of annual salary to be paid every two years, and a N30 million pension annually for life.

This is the reality for all the 21 ex govenors and deputy governors who are currently serving as senators. This same is also true of ex governors who are now serving as Ministers.

NOW I ASK:
How many years did these guys serve their states as governors and deputy governors? Is it more than 8years? Is that a reason to be entitled to pensions for life? Even if they are entitled to pension for life, must it be so outrageous?

As if that is not enough: HOW on earth can any public servant with conscience collect salaries and allowances as a senator or minister, and still have the audacity to claim pensions equivalent to the salaries of a serving governor in Nigeria?

IT ISN'T ROCKET SCIENCE......

Once you are elected a senator or appointed a minister, you must forfeit any pension accruing to you from government at any level until you vacate office. This should also apply to senators collecting military pensions like former Senate President David Mark.

Yet these senators are in the Senate that is inviting the current finance minister to discuss the recession of Nigeria's economy. A senator pockets approximately 30 million naira monthly as salary and allowances. Our "honourables" are not interested to make laws that could restructure our country into economically autonomous federating States/Regions to save the country from sectional agitations that is threatening to destroy Nigeria. The sad and hopeless situation is that the rest of Nigerians are busy arguing based on party, ethnic and affiliations while these enemies of state continue to rape us.

Do you know that it costs tax payers 290m Naira yearly to maintain each member of our National Assembly in a country where nothing works & 80% of population earn below 300 Naira a day ? A working day earning of a senator is more than a yearly income of a doctor; it's more than the salary of 42 Army generals or 48 professors or 70 commissioners of police or more than twice the pay of the US President or 9 times the salary of US congressmen.

It's high time the country had a referendum on those outrageous salaries of Senators, House of Representative members and other political office holders.

*If you are seriously against the looting of our commonwealth in Nigeria, in the name of democracy, you can let this piece go viral by sharing it with as many of your contacts and groups too!*( copied) Dr Bello Diran

Lol