By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Senate in plenary on Tuesday constituted a seven-member ad-hoc committee to probe the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) for embarking on extra-budgetary expenditures of N1.4trn.
This action was a sequel to a motion by Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi) during the consideration of a report by the Committee on Niger Delta on NDDC’s 2021, 2022, and 2023 budgets.
Muhammadu Buhari had earlier this year asked the Senate to approve NDDC’s budgets for 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The request for approval came after the interventionist agency had spent the funds for the 2021 and 2022 financial years, totalling N1.4trn.
Buhari, in the proposals transmitted to the parliament, explained that a total budget of N485.7bn was proposed for the NDDC in 2021, N928.2bn in 2022, and N876bn in 2023.
The Senate consequently referred the budgets to its Committee on Niger Delta after scaling second reading.
The committee, chaired by Senator Bulus Amos (APC, Gombe), submitted its report on Tuesday and urged the Senate to approve the budget estimates.
However, Aliero faulted the recommendation of the committee.
He said it was a breach of the constitution for NDDC to carry out the expenditure of the budget estimates without the approval of the National Assembly.
Other senators, who raised concerns over the consideration of the budgets, were senators Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa) and Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos).
Adeola said there was an urgent need to carefully look at the 2023 budget estimates of NDDC as clarifications and further information was required on figures presented on the budget.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan, therefore, raised a panel to probe the agency’s financial book.
Lawan said the term of reference of the ad hoc committee was to investigate the financial activities of NDDC on the 2021 and 2022 budget estimates.
The committee, chaired by Senator Yusuf A. Yusuf (APC, Taraba), is to submit its report to the plenary in one week.
Other members of the committee include Seriake Dickson, Uche Ekwunife, Abdullahi Yahaya, Saidu Alkali, Adetunmbi Olubumi, and Sadiq Sulaiman.
Meanwhile, Senate had stood down consideration of the 2023 budget estimates of the NDDC, seeking further information and clarification on the figures contained in the proposal.
