Absence Of NNPC, CBN, Customs Chiefs Stall Work On 2018 Budget —Senate

Senate on Wednesday disclosed that absence of Heads and Chief Executives of key government agencies before its Panel will hinder the quick passage of the 2018 budget. 

Briefing newsmen immediately after the plenary session,  chairman,  Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Abudullahi  Sabi expressed dissatisfaction with absence of chief executives of government agencies before the Panel on MTEF/FSP.

Sabi added that the upper chamber is constrained by the refusal of these Chief Executives deliberately to honour Senate invitation to discuss the budget.

Among the chief Executives accused by the Committee were:

– Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) Baru Maikanti, 

– Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emiefile, 

– Comptroller General of Customs Service, Hamed Ali, 

– Director -General, National Bureau of Statistics, Yemi Kale, and,

– Director, Department of Petroleum Resources , Mordecai Ladan. 

According to Senate spokesman, Senate is displeased with the attitude of the Chief Executives, and it may no longer be feasible to finish work on the budget in January as requested by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Sabi lamented that the committee was disappointed to see only the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed and the Director-General, Budget Office, Ben Akabueze showed up out of all the invited government officials.

He said that the Senate is not happy that somebody is not coming to give them the adequate information concerning the budget proposal saying that if the affected chief executives take the matter serious they would have created time to appear before the panel. 

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