By Nathaniel Zacchaeus
The Senate yesterday faulted the insertion of N10.8bn in the 2023 Budget of the Ministry of Defence.
It asked the Minister of Defence, Maj-Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd.), to explain the money got into its Budget.
The Senate Committee on Defence discovered the N11bn in the 2023 budget of the Ministry.
The panel engaged the Minister and other top officials of the Ministry during a budget defence session.
The Vice-Chairman of the Committee, Senator Istifanus Gyang (PDP Plateau North), pointed out the anomaly.
Gyang said the money comprised N8.6bn earmarked for the procurement of military hard wares/equipment and N2.25bn for safe school initiatives.
He said, “Hon. Minister, in the proposed 2023 budget of your Ministry N8.6bn is discovered to have been allocated for the purchase of military hard wares and N2.25bn for Safe School Initiatives.
“The two items, when critically viewed, were not supposed to be in the Ministry’s budget since hardware procurements are done by the Army, Navy, and Air Force and Safe School Initiative by the Federal Ministry of Education.
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“These to us, are duplications of budgetary votes which require explanations from you.”
The Minister in his response sought permission from the Committee for the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Ibrahim Abubakar Kana to respond.
The Permanent Secretary in his response told the Committee that the sums were inserted into the Ministry’s budget for the 2022 fiscal year by the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed.
He said, “The two budgetary votes were not initiative of the Ministry. The Ministry of Finance and National Planning put them there.”
Not satisfied with the explanation offered by the Permanent Secretary, the Committee through its Chairman, Senator Aliyu Wamakko told the Minister that both the N8.6bn and N2.25bn proposals for the procurement of hard wares and Safe School Initiatives would be expunged from the Ministry’s budget.”
