Teddy Oscar, Abuja
The implementation of the 2013 Budget is not acceptable to the House of Representatives, who has expressed concern at the late releases of monies that are meant to fund the capital projects of the 2013 budget by government.
The chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream, Hon. Muraina Ajibola, observed that the delay was not necessary, while scrutinising the 2013 budget performance of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).
Reacting to the ugly situation, Ajibola said: “As a parliament, we are worried because we are not only tracking money released and revenue generated. We are worried on the releases of money to fund the budget. We are calling on the appropriate quarters to ensure that releases are done as at when due.”
Recall that the committee had on Friday read riot act to the acting Director General of the authority, Dr. Martin Ogharanduku over his failure to defend the agency’s 2013 budget performance and summoned him to appear before the committee on September 30.
The committee had visited NNRA office in Abuja for oversight function, but met none of the officers of the agency on ground to receive the members of the committee.
But during Monday’s meeting, Ogharanduku pleaded earnestly with committee over his inability to defend the authority’s 2013 budget performance.
“We admitted that we made an error. We have the notice, but the error is ours. It has to do with communication gap, no room for any excuse. We fully appreciate the National Assembly and what you stand for. We have total respect for you, and we are subject to your supervision. We have to take responsibility for our mistake. It will never happen again,” he pleaded.
Briefing the committee on the releases of 2013 budget, the NNRA boss informed the members that the capital component of the authority’s 2013 budget was only Implemented up to 23 percent, stressing that the poor implementation was as a result of non release of fund in time.
He noted that in the 2013 budget, the authority proposed the sum of N 1.154,206,974, but N235,000,000 was appropriated for NNRA under capital projects based on the ceiling given by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
To this end, he said that, out of the N235,000,000 appropriated for the authority as capital project component, ” the sum of N52,675,235 has been released to NNRA which represent 23 percent. Out of the amount released the sum of N 41,224,140 has been paid to the contractors who have completed their work. The remaining balance of N11,451,094 is in our account”.
In the first quarter, Ogharanduku said the authority got N30,300,316, second quarter, N22,374,919, while the third quarter release according to him was still been awaited by the authority.
