By: IYOKPO J. EGBODO, Abuja
The House of Representatives Committee on Interior on Thursday queried the duplication of computers and some other line items in the 2018 Budget of the Federal Ministry of Interior.
The Ministry which defended its budget and those of some of its agencies had presented a line item of computers,office stationeries, newspapers and printing of security and non security documents in their budget for the approval of the lawmakers.
However, the lawmakers during the defence of the budget picked holes with the line item of computers in the estimates noting that it has a recurring decimal in the budget.
According to the Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen Abdulrahman Danbazzau(rtd), the ministry has close to N400,000 outstanding liabilities on overhead cost in its previous budgets.
He informed the lawmakers that it got to a point when the ministry’s supplier of gasoline refused to supply it due to huge debts he was owed.
On the budget, the ministry presented for approval, a total of N360,890.000319.00 as overhead cost for the ministry its agencies for 2018 and N1,64,866,499.00 for capital budget.
A breakdown of it shows that N29.5m is set aside for local travels, N18.8m for int’l travels,N18.8m for office stationeries and N2.8 million for printing of non security documents.
Also, N16m was set aside for clearing and fumigation, N16M is for legal services,N5.2Mis for publicity and adverts and N5.2M is for publicity and adverts and N4.5m is for meals.
The Committee Chairman Hon. Adams Jagaba however queried the rationale behind the procurement of computers by the ministry annually on its budget.
Jagaba and other lawmakers who demanded for the receipts for the purchase of computers by the ministry officials said that he is invoking his veto powers under the laws and added that the ministry will not have anything for the purchase of computers in its 2018 budget.
