CHUKWU DAVID writes on the ongoing 2025 budget defence at the National Assembly, which has been characterised by summons of ministers and heads of government agencies over budgetary allocations to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) through the envelope budget method of the executive
The National Assembly resumed from its Christmas and New Year recess on January 14. Immediately on resumption, the nation’s apex legislative body, commenced what has become an annual ritual, called budget defence with public institutions.
It’s a time when the different establishments of the Federal Government, come to face the lawmakers, to give account of how they performed in implementation of their budgetary allocations in the immediate past year, and at the same time, argue their cases on why fresh financial allocations should be given to them in the prevailing year.
However, prior to the vacation of the National Assembly in December last year, different standing committees of the apex Assembly had commenced interactive engagements with the MDAs, particularly the revenue generating agencies of government, with a view to ascertain their performances, vis-a-vis their revenue targets for the year 2024.
As the standing committees of both chambers interacted with the MDAs, one variable that became very manifest and common among the MDAs, is that the ministries and their agencies, without exception, lamented that allocations given to them were grossly inadequate to implement the projects awaiting attention, both new and ongoing.
In response to the complaints of virtually all the MDAs over inadequacy of funding in the 2025 Appropriation Bill, members of the committees resorted to issuing summons to relevant ministers, to appear before then and give detailed explanations on the paltry allocations given to the MDAs.
One of the establishments, upon which the National Assembly summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to appear before it and explain the reason for the miserable budgetary allocation was the Ministry of Solid Minerals. Also summoned were the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, and Director-General of Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu.
The National Assembly explained that the summon by the Joint Committee on Solid Minerals became imperative, following the refusal of the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning to appear before it as directed previously.
The joint committee, chaired by Senator Sampson Ekong (PDP Akwa Ibom South), had when the Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr. Dele Alake, appeared before it for the budget defence, frowned at the N9 billion proposed as capital vote for the ministry in the 2025 fiscal year.
The ministers and the Director General of the Budget Office, Mr. Tanimu Yakubu, as announced by the committee chairman, were summoned to appear before the committee for detailed explanation.
Accordingly, the committee refused to consider the 2025 budget proposal for the ministry and ordered the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning to appear before it. Bagudu’s refusal to appear before the Committee and Alake’s lamentations over failed efforts to get the N9 billion budgetary proposal reviewed upward made the joint committee to include the Budget Office in the summon.
In a related development, the Senate Committee on Population also summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Edun, alongside his Budget and Economic Planning counterpart, Bagudu, over inadequate budgetary allocation to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in the proposed 2025 budget. Also expected to appear before the committee on a yet-to-be-announced date is the Director-General of the Budget Office, Yakubu.
The summon was sequel to concerns raised by some lawmakers over allocation of N15.228 billion to NIMC, a figure they argued, show lack of commitment by the Federal Government to address national security challenges.
During a meeting with the committee, NIMC’s Director-General, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed that the commission received only N312 million for capital expenditure in 2024, out of which only N98 million was accessible.
She noted the dire financial constraints faced by the agency, which operates offices in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Senators criticized the insufficient funding for an agency critical to national identity management, with committee members expressing dismay over its ability to function effectively under such constraints.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Ahmed Abdul Ningi, highlighted the challenges NIMC faces in registering Nigerians abroad. “This is an agency expected to register Nigerians in the diaspora.
I don’t know how much they will need to operate in places like London, Japan, the U.S., the Netherlands, and other European countries yet it is grossly underfunded,” he said. Senator Ningi further criticized the Ministry of Finance, saying:
“I am very sure those who prepared this budget, including the Minister of Finance, do not understand the critical role of this agency. When I visited NIMC, I noticed the personnel looked gloomy.
That, for me, confirms my fears.” The DG of NIMC, Coker-Odusote, explained that the commission had repeatedly submitted reports and memos regarding its funding challenges but is yet to see significant action taken.
Further irked by the insignificant and extremely low budgetary allocations to the Ministry of Art, Culture and Creative Economy in the 2025 budget, the Senate Committee on Art, Culture and Creative Economy under the chairmanship of Senator Anawo Ogoshi, wondered if the Nigerian government is ready for the nation’s development.
Considering the fact that the ministry has the potential to rake in billions of naira into the national treasury if properly funded, the committee resolved through a motion moved by Senator Osita Izunaso and seconded by Senator Aniekan Bassey, to summon the Minister of Budget as well as his counterpart in the Finance ministry to appear before it.
This, according to the committee, will afford the ministers to explain how they arrived at the figures allocated to the ministry despite that it’s a-two-in-one ministry. Senator Izunaso, particularly noted that it’s appalling for only N4 billion to be allocated to the nation’s Creative Economy Ministry.
Senator Izunaso stressed that a ministry with the second largest entertainment industry in the world must be given support and proper funding for it to contribute immensely to the nation’s internally generated revenue.
Earlier, the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, who earlier appeared before the committee for the 2025 budget defence, told members of the committee that the ministry is looking forward to contribute over N100 billion to the nation’s coffers by 2030. She, however, noted that this could only be achieved if the right infrastructure is put in place for art, culture and entertainment to thrive in the country.
