The move by the present administration to make the agricultural sector its main focus against the backdrop of dwindling oil revenue appears to have suffered a setback as fresh revelations have shown a drastic reduction in the 2016 budgetary allocation for the sector by the National Assembly.

Besides the ministry’s initial N40.918 billion budget proposal that was reduced to N31.618 billion by the National Assembly, the lawmakers allegedly also inserted fresh 386 projects worth N12.6 billion.

A member of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, who spoke to select journalists in Abuja, expressed worry about the development while vowing to invoke necessary channels to ensure a probe is instituted to unravel how those fresh projects were inserted without the knowledge of the entire membership of the committee.

‘’We are happy that the Speaker hinted that the issue of the budget will be revisited this week; but what some of us want is the understanding of Nigerians on this matter.

‘’The issue of this controversial budget has to be carefully done this time around because some persons who think they were smarter had already led the entire parliament into collision with the executive and indeed Nigerians.

‘’They have done this by inserting projects without the knowledge of others, either in the appropriation or relevant sectoral committees, and presenting same as the collective decision of the house or the entire parliament.

‘’To the best of my knowledge, as a member of both the appropriation and agriculture committees in the House of Representatives, I do know that we reduced the ministry’s N40.9 billion proposal by about N9.3 billion.

‘’But the surprise here is that while a decision was not taken where to infuse the reduced sum, some of us were surprised to see that so many projects were passed on to the president for assent which he declined.

‘’The implication is that if the president did not insist on details, most National Assembly members would not have had the opportunity to know what went behind them.

‘’For instance, in the Agric sector which I am conversant with, a total of 386 projects unknown to many of us were inserted, and totalled about N12.6 billion. Out of this, while N5.3 billion of the main ministry’s budget is taken away, about N7.2 billion is infused into almost 40 agencies and parastatals of the agric ministry.

‘’We agree that we reduced the budget, but who infused this bogus sums to the projects without the knowledge of others, is the question here. So, I am poised to raise the issue when we meet because it is betrayal in many angles.

‘’This is more so that looking at the N7.2 billion infused in the agencies, only a paltry sum of N2.3bn is allocated to the south while the remaining N4.3bn is allocated to the north. The most annoying thing is in those areas where those who inserted the projects have interests, the cost of projects is nothing less than N100 million.

‘’That is how to know who had interest in where and what, because from the look of things, how does it make sense that Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, will get N40m, that of Oji River will be given N7m and that of Kaduna got N270m,’’ the lawmaker alleged.

A document sighted by our correspondent from which the lawmaker gave a graphic account of the breakdown shows that about three projects unconnected with the agric sector were in the group of the allegedly infused ones. They include erosion control in Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, Kwadon, and Garin Alhaji at the cost of N200 million, N100 million and N45 million respectively.

Others include provision of 58 boreholes for 29 unnamed rural communities and an additional 50 for another unknown 50 rural communities in the sum of N175 million and N150.4 million respectively.

Similarly, of the N90 million allocated to the Cocoa Research Institute in Ibadan, various sums are allocated to the following seven sub heads: provision of rubber seeds and seedling in Igbotako, Okitipupa (N5m), training and empowerment of youths in poultry farming in Oluyole, Ibadan (N20m) and provision of cassava processing plant in Etsako east local government area of Edo State (N10m).

Of the four sub heads under the Rubber Research Institute, Benin, two areas are equally outside the focus of rubber. These are training and empowerment of youth and women in fish farming in Ndokwa, Delta State, and the fabrication, installation of cassava processing machines in Own west local government area of Edo at N10m and N20m respectively.

Also, the sum of N1 billion was allocated to two projects in Kwara south, the senatorial district of the Senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki. They are for the construction of rural roads for the sum of N700 million as well as empowerment of women and youth in agricultural products for another sum of N300 million.

The other projects discovered to have been inserted with no clear-cut purposes include N5.3bn for the main ministry; Federal College of Produce Inspection and Stored Products in Kano – N550.6m; Agric Research and Management Institute in Ilorin – N225m; National Centre for Agric Mechanisation in Ilorin – N422.4m; National Cereal Research Institute, Badeggi – N257.5m.

Others are National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, in Plateau State – N35m; National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike in Abia State – N484m; National Institute for Oil Palm Research, Benin City – N177.8; National Agric Research Institute, Zaria – N243.3m; National Animal Product Research Institute, Zaria – N345.5m; National Horticulture Research Institute, Ibadan – N62m.

Also in the list is Cocoa Research Institute, Ibadan – N90m; Institute of Agric Research and Training, Ibadan – N18m; Rubber Research Institute, Benin – N70m; National Institute for Fresh Water Fish, New Bussa, Niger State – N205m; National Agric Extension and Research Liaison Services, Zaria – N60m; Veterinary Council of Nigeria – N26.2m, among numerous other institutes and colleges under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

culled from leadership newspaper.

http://leadership.ng/news/519064/2016-budget-crisis-386-fresh-projects-inserted-agric-ministry-alone

When the preyed defends the right of the predator to prey on it, the predator has no case to answer! We shout hoarse to APC/PDP rivalry forgetting the well being of humans are involved! Bad roads, epileptic power supply, under equipped hospitals, dilapidated schools knows no "wailer" nor "zombie". The effrontery to "pad" the budget is fed off from the assurance that "nothing go happen"!

I no fit talk again

And the worst part of it is that... They are holding the government back

Also, the sum of N1 billion was allocated to two projects in Kwara south, the senatorial district of the Senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki. They are for the construction of rural roads for the sum of N700 million as well as empowerment of women and youth in agricultural products for another sum of N300 million.

Road construction in Ministry of Agric's budget? Uhhmmm!! The thunder that will fire these people is still doing press up!!

Others include provision of 58 boreholes for 29 unnamed rural communities and an additional 50 for another unknown 50 rural communities in the sum of N175 million and N150.4 million respectively.

These lawmakers need to be given the military treatment...... both PDP and APC. They are always united when it's time to pad and loot the budget.

The rule of law shouldn't apply to these people.

They want to loot by force despite the harsh economic situation of the country.

The Senate Is the next frontier in the battle against corruption.

When are we going to get to the end of this. This is like a never ending situation. The moment you think you have a clear path, thats when you face new problems. When are these people going to get their act together, so that the president can sign the budget.

Please let the parties be done with this budget thing for the sake of the masses.

[size=20pt]Saboteurs[/size]

courage89:
When are we going to get to the end of this. This is like a never ending situation. The moment you think you have a clear path, thats when you face new problems. When are these people going to get their act together, so that the president can sign the budget.

When they remove this kind of crap:

A document sighted by our correspondent from which the lawmaker gave a graphic account of the breakdown shows that about three projects unconnected with the agric sector were in the group of the allegedly infused ones. They include erosion control in Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, Kwadon, and Garin Alhaji at the cost of N200 million, N100 million and N45 million respectively.

Nine days for the thief and one for the owner, they should be used to set example, they thought we are still in transformation admin. cos thats how they have been looting this country from time past. New sherrif in town. Bubu is working i hope somebody is learning how things are done?

This government is the worst since the amalgamation of this country

Haba! For once, can NASS stop this public and national embarrassment.
The controversies surrounding the budget is turning to un-ending Seasonal movie.
Let them just crap d budget and start all over again if that will save us from all these daily nonsense of budget paddling.
Selfish people.
Bolehole ko pothole ni...
Political thiefs.

My country Nigeria can't produce a budget after one year. Hope we don't get to operate in lieu all through the remaining there years?

Ojayk:
My country Nigeria can't produce a budget after one year. Hope we don't get to operate in lieu all through the remaining there years?

because this is d first time we have a budget with clear purpose.

tuale4u:


because this is d first time we have a budget with clear purpose.

The only reason we now know of the level of corruption going on in naija is because buhari was transparent enough to reveal everything before where will u see the contents of the budget to even complain about it

Hmmmmmmmmm

North korea treatment for these NASS members including Saraki

While the northern force increased their own share, some set of northern people even started propaganda to cover it and distract us by writing and leaking a letter to Buhari alleging that they are suffering up north. Saraki's peopld alone got N1b which I am sure will looted by the Senate President himself.

Baba tink say na only him ministers sabi pad budget?

Mehn, Nigerian politicians, I salute una theifry o. Abeg Bubu, show them shege shege.

Barayi kawai

rottennaija:
I no fit talk again

I am weak...

All the boys in budget office that had worked under Jonathan in the last administration should be retired and sacked. Those group are terrible and pathetic.

The joke is on us not those SINators. Imagine a nationwide protest has not been staged against these crazy people. We only come online to rant. The joke is on us. We neither know nor believe in what we want.

Keneking:
All the boys in budget office that had worked under Jonathan in the last administration should be retired and sacked. Those group are terrible and pathetic.

Are you daft or are you being plain silly? When did legislators become civil servants that can be retired?

This is a classic case of the executive and legislature engaging in tactical maneuver to out pad the other. Yahoo Yahoo leaders with gullible followers calming buhari is now a saint.

rottennaija:
I no fit talk again

Jonathan spoilt the senate with GhanaMustGo gratifications...such shaits aren't for Buhari, hence budget padding, budget infusing, hijacking and damn it..budget blackmailing, now a new invention by the thieving senate to cut corners under Buhari wey no get time for corruption..
See my friend, I will never regret supporting Buhari. I don't know how some people feel seeing their collective wealth being stolen by selected few in the senate.. I mean, this is totally self destructs madness

Nelkoko:
Baba tink say na only him ministers sabi pad budget?

You dey mind the petty thief called buhari pretending saint. The legislature are playing according to the precedent buhari set. All of them are Yahoo Yahoo.

Burger01:
Jonathan spoilt the senate with GhanaMustGo gratifications...such shaits aren't for Buhari, hence budget padding, budget infusing, hijacking and damn it..budget blackmailing, now a new invention by the thieving senate to cut corners under Buhari wey no get time for corruption..
See my friend, I will never regret supporting Buhari. I don't know how some people feel seeing their collective wealth being stolen by selected few in the senate.. I mean, this is totally self destructs madness

But when ameachi was bribing and buying delegates in his presence with Ghana must go bags of dollars while Buhari applauds and smiling sheepishly. Why are you people like this Atleast, fear Allah!