By Henry Umoru
ABUJA—THE Senate yesterday reversed its
earlier decision that N242 billion be removed from
Service Wide votes for the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC, and security
agencies, and vired N35.5 billion from power and
education votes for purposes of conducting the
2019 elections.
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INEC
Of the N35.5 billion, N25.5 billion was vired from
the N714.668 billion allocations to the Ministry of
Power, Works and Housing, while N10 billion was
taken from the Education Ministry’s N651.226
billion in the 2019 budget to make up the N242
billion budget for the election.
Adopting a new report submitted by the
Committee on Appropriations by its Chairman,
Senator Danjuma Goje and 18 others, the Upper
Chamber said only N121.2 billion would now be
taken from the Service Wide Votes, while the
balance of N121 billion will be taken from 30
Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.
In his presentation, Senator Goje said the earlier
virement of N242bn for the elections budget
entirely from service wide votes ( Special
Intervention Programme ) should be rescinded
and approved new recommended sources.
Other affected MDAs are Federal Ministry of
Water Resources, N12.954bn vired from its
N155.149bn 2018 budget; Federal Ministry of
Agriculture, N11billion vired from its N203bn 2018
budget .
Others include Ministry of Budget and National
Planning, N8.845bn; Ministry of Defence,
N2.636bn; Foreign Affairs, N1.737bn; and Federal
Ministry of Health, N8.059bn.
Also affected in the virements are Office of the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation,
N6.734bn; Office of the National Security Adviser,
N1.120bn; Ministry of Labour and Employment,
N2.727bn; Information and Culture, N1.884bn;
Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, N1.199bn; Science
and Technology, N7.466bn; Industry, Trade and
Investment, N7.085bn.
The committee in the report, however, retained
the spread of the N242bn virement votes for
conduct of the 2019 general elections across the
six affected agencies as earlier approved by both
chambers of the National Assembly, with the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,
getting NN189 billion; the Nigeria Police Force,
N27.3bn; and Office of National Security Adviser,
N9.481bn.
Others are the Department of State Services,
DSS, N10.213bn; the Nigeria Security and Civil
Defence Corps, NSCDC, N3.573bn; and the
Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, N2.628bn,
totally, N242.245, 050,100bn.
In his presentation, Senator Goje said: “Recall the
approval of the virement/supplementary budget
for INEC and security agencies for the conduct of
the 2019 general elections in the sum of N242,
245, 050,100 only, which is to be funded from the
Service Wide Votes on October 16, 2018-Senate
Resolution (S/RS/027/04/;
“Senate is aware that because of some obvious
and imminent issues of national socio- economic
importance, the virement/supplementary request
cannot be implemented as earlier approved.
“Accordingly resolves to: Rescind and reconsider
its approval of the request as contained in
resolution (S/RS/027/04/ in line with Order
53(6) of its Standing Order; and Approve the sum
of N242,245,050,100 only.”
While the sole recommendation of the Goje led
Committee was unanimously carried, an
additional prayer was adopted to allow Senate
Committee on Police Affairs investigate how the
Nigeria Police Force has utilised previous
allocation for election purposes in the last two
general elections.
The second resolution was consequent upon
Senator Dino Melaye’s query of allocation of N27,
341,317,433 to the Police for the purpose of the
2019 polls.
Melaye had argued that such collosal amount of
money is not needed by the He Police that had
2018 budgetary allocation.
But in his response, Goje said Melaye’s complaint
was, however, belated after both chambers of the
National Assembly had already passed the 2019
election budget.
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in his
remarks, reframed Melaye’s concerns as he
suggested that the police committee be mandated
to look into the utilisation of previous allocation to
the Police for election monitoring.
The committee is expected to submit its report in
two weeks.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/11/inec-senate-vires-n35-5bn-from-power-education-votes/

These monkeys didn't deem it fit to vire any amount from their over bloated budget but they will vire from that which will benefit the masses. Wicked souls