The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, caused a stir yesterday when she disowned the N206bn inserted into her ministry’s 2023 budget by the Ministry of Finance.

The Minister was at the National Assembly to defend her ministry’s 2023 budget before the Senate Committee on Special Duties.

She explained that the Ministry requested some projects for the North East Development Commission (NEDC) and National Social Safety Net Project in the 2022 budget but that funds for the proposed projects were not released.

She, however, said the Ministry was surprised that the money inserted, was now ten times higher than the 2023 Budget of the Ministry.

One of the Committee members Senator Elisha Abbo discovered the anomaly and asked the Minister to explain the N206bn in her ministry’s budget.

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The minister expressed surprise and said, “Yes we made mention of the projects for 2022 which was not released and part of it was part for the NEDC.

“The money was not released and now we have seen it recurring by almost 10 folds, we are also going to clarify from the ministry of finance to know why this increase, even though the previous year, the money was not released for the project. So, we will get the details and then send them to you on that.

“On upscaling of the National Social Safety Net Project. These projects are under the national social safety nets, the condition cash transfer, the updating of the national social register, and the rapid response register as well to cushion the effect of inflation.

“This is all I can say for this. I cannot give full details of how this amount is going to be utilised because it is something that was negotiated between the ministry of finance and World Bank.”

Abbo expressed shock at the Minister’s response and said that the country would not continue to borrow money and plunge the country into debt.

He said, “This is serious. We cannot continue to borrow money and plunge this country into debt for our children to come and pay without investing in what they will see.”

*Senate summons finance minister, Ahmed

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Yusuf Yusuf, therefore, moved a motion to summon Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed to come and give an explanation about the N206bn inserted in the Ministry budget.

Yusuf said, “I want to move a motion that the Minister of Finance should appear before this committee to furnish this committee with details of what they intend to do with N206bn in the 2023 budget.

“Now that the Minister has said that she is not in charge of negotiation, of course, she is not, the Minister of Finance is responsible.”