...passes N982bn supplementary budget

Lawan urges adequate funding of security agencies

The Senate approved the sum of N982.729bn as supplementary budget for the 2021 fiscal year.

This represents an increase of N86.9bn from the N895.842bn transmitted to the parliament by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The passage followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Appropriation.

Of the N982,729,695,343 passed, N123,332,174,164 is for recurrent (nondebt) expenditure and N859,397,521,179, for contribution to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure.

The chairman of the committee, Senator Barau Jibrin, said the N45.63bn required for COVID-19 vaccination would be sourced through the existing World Bank loan and other grants.

He said the balance of N37.93bn would be sourced from Special Reserve/Levy Accounts comprising: TSA (Foreign currency component) - N25bn; MOFI CHQ optional - N5bn; and Foreign Revenue E-Collection - N30bn; 65 percent Wheat Floor Levy N15bn; 5.15 percent Wheat Grain Levy - N15bn; and Rolled-Over Capital (unspent) - N5bn.

He said the balance of N722.40bn, for capital expenditure on procurement of additional equipment for the security and capital supplementation, would be sourced from new borrowing.

Barau said the committee in line with the harmonised position with its House of Representatives counterpart recommended an upward review of the funding of some security agencies grossly underfunded or not funded in the supplementary Appropriation Bill.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan urged Buhari to sustain adequate funding of security agencies in the 2022 budget to be presented to the National Assembly later this year.

Lawan said this would help the nation overcome insecurity.

He said the supplementary budget was for the purpose of tackling insecurity across the country and procuring COVID-19 vaccines for Nigerians.

He said, “This supplementary budget is targeted at addressing the security challenges in this country and, of course, the procurement, administration and management of the Covid-19 vaccines.

“We expect the relevant committees to be stiff, to be alive to their responsibilities for over sighting on how these funds would be deployed prudently.

“It is very important that we have a review of the application of this funds before we pass the 2022 Appropriation Bill.

“This is a very necessary intervention by the National Assembly, particularly this Senate and, indeed, the administration in the country, that this is necessary for us to do.

“[And] we should continue with funding of our security agencies in the 2022 Appropriation because we have to overcome the security challenges our country faces.”