Samuel Adesola, Abuja
Senate, on Tuesday, passed the N1.911 trillion Niger Delta Development Commission budget for
2024 with Senate President Godswill Akpabio inundated with complaints by Senators who contributed to the debate on the motion.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ekpenyong Asuquo, representing Cross River South Senatorial District, submitted its report less than 12 hours after the public hearing on the budget, where the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, appeared for the defence of the budget.
Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, representing Ogun West Senatorial District, was the first to pick holes in the report.
He queried how the budget performance of the NDDC for 2023 was not properly assessed before approving the 2024 budget in line with the legislative tradition.
Senator Adeola said it amounts to process abuse for a proposal to be adopted without finding how the previous year’s budget was executed to justify a fresh proposal.
“There is no mention of the performance of the 2023 budget, so on what is the proposal for 2024 predicated?”, he said.
Senator Adamu Aliero, in his reaction, explained that NDDC had proposed to borrow N1 trillion in the budget proposal “which I think is not in the borrowing plan.”
Aliero warned that NDDC is a child of necessity and must use the money appropriated to serve the interest of the people, adding that commission’s budget is more than that of two states put together, yet its impact had yet to be felt.
“NDDC is a child of necessity and the money must be used in the interest of the people, even as its budget is more than two States and we have not seen much,” he said.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole, in his contribution, maintained that things have changed in the NDDC, explaining that the commission could write to the Senate for borrowing after the budget had been passed into law.
He urged lawmakers not to “judge the NDDC by its dirty past.”
Oshiomhole recalled how South-South governors had called for a forensic audit of the accounts of the NDDC, saying, “Mr President, you recalled that we agreed that a forensic audit of NDDC be carried out. This was done and jobs done were paid and those not done were separated.”
Senator Seriake Dickson said that the NDDC should be supported by all after undergoing a forensic audit.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio then called for a vote and the budget was passed into law.
