Niger Delta Ministry 2013 Budget Wasteful, Says Group

Niger Delta Ministry 2013 Budget Wasteful, Says Group

The Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), a whistle blowing civil society organization, has faulted the 2013 budget proposal to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, saying it is wasteful.

In their analysis of the budget proposal that was wired to AkanimoReports on Tuesday night, the group said the N1.6 billion proposed for “Youth/Women Empowerment Training” for 2013 does not stand a good fiscal argument.

Executive Director of the group, Mr. George-Hill Anthony said, "over a billion naira cannot be used for training of women and youths. That is a budget of three local government areas combined in some areas.

"Less than N200 million can go for this for the nine states, while the balance of N1.4 billion is put into a Micro Credit Scheme for empowerment of youths and women in the oil and gas region".

Continuing, NDEBUMOG said, "it is wasteful for allocating over N800 million for Consolidated Salary for the year 2013. This ministry does not need bloated personnel, other than a few bureaucratic strategic planners in social infrastructure and social safety nets, environment, oil and gas trackers, amongst a few others.

"We do not accept this almost N1 billion salary projections for a Ministry whose impact is yet to be felt. In measuring some overhead projections of the ministry for 2013, local and international travels (including training) cumulatively is about N366 million (bridged by the group from six line items), stationeries N83 million, books N11 million, field and camping materials supplies N42 million.

"If the local and international travels projection (including training) is shared to youths in the Niger Delta in a job creation scheme like the YouWiN programme of the Federal Ministry of Finance, with N5 million each to a beneficiary, over 60 young entrepreneurs can be lifted out of poverty from that travel cost alone, with the potential of creating additional 600 jobs.

"The figure allocated for travels and training alone by this Ministry from 2009 to date is a heart bleeder. For example, in 2010, over N500 million was for such alone. Unfortunately, we know that actual releases may be below the fiscally projected lines, especially at a time when blame about non-implementation of the budget is being traded between the Executive and Legislature".

NDEBUMOG is calling on the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, to publish annually, the budget implementation report of the Federal Government.

"To her credit, she did so in 2006. Furthermore, what type of stationeries would a ministry such as this need in 12 months for N83 million? It is a clear indication that, beyond this ministry, there is a weak internal inventory control and inventory logging abuses with possible filching among the MDAs," the group said.

ENDS

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