The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) is to spend the sum of N32,194,984,518,00 for the payment of staff salaries and other emoluments in 2018 fiscal year. The director of DPR, Mr Mordecai Baba Ladan, stated this during the agency’s budget defence/presentation before members of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Upstream in Abuja. He explained that the agency got approval via the envelope system in the total sum of N34,873,019,019.00. According to him, out of the sum, N1,331,020,000‎ will be spent on capital while overhead will take the sum of N1,347,018,501. “DPR has 1,100 staff with offices in about 28 states of the federation including Abuja. As the sole regulator of the petroleum industry in Nigeria, we cover the upstream, mid-stream and downstream sectors of the industry. “We also monitor tank farms numbering over 200 and 32 export terminals which culminate in the whole gammot of activities we engages in,” Mr Ladan said. He stressed that as a sole regulator of the petroleum industry in Nigeria, the agency needs adequate funding for the effective discharge of its role and achieve sufficient results for all stakeholders. Chairman of the Committee, Hon Victor Nwokolo (PDP, Delta) and his colleague, Nasir Ali Ahmed (APC, Kano), had queried the agency, noting that 50 per cent of N1 billion released in 2017 could only achieve just 56 per cent utilization. While Hon Nasir Ali Ahmed noted that in 2017, DPR’s capital budget was N1 billion with 50 per cent of the sum released and a utilisation level of 56 per cent, Chairman Nwokolo asked why the agency would propose N1.2billion in 2018 when it couldn’t utilise the N500 million that was released to it in 2017? DPR head of Planning, Folasade Odunuga, who was backed by the head of finance, explained that ‎the capital expenditure for 2017 extends till March 2018, adding that various milestones of the agency’s capital sub-heads had been completed and would be carried out before the close of the fiscal window. On why there are provisions for local travels and training costing over N200 million, and nothing for international travel and training, Mrs Odunuga said what appeared on the document was what the budget office approved in the envelope for the agency. Asked how the N32 billion for personnel would cater for additional staff being recruited since it was the same amount proposed last year, the DPR said it would augment the shortfall from its other budget. The committee chairman, Hon Nwokolo said that “Having listened to the presentation, notes have been taken and the committee would process all information so presented.”

http://www.akelicious.com/2018/02/dpr-budgets-n32bn-for-1100-staff-in-2018.html

No comment! The CHAIN-GE is here.

As long as funds are monitored closely and transparency is ensured...else animals might see more things to swallow

Same DPR who voiced out in public that it does not have the resources to impose sanctions on erring filling stations.