SGF appears before Senate, defends N9.88bn budget

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir
Lawal, on Monday appeared before the Senate Committee on Federal
Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs to defend the N9.88bn
budgeted by his office for 2017.

Lawal, who was billed to appear before the lawmakers on
Thursday, had sent the Permanent Secretary (General Services)
Office of the SGF, Mohammed Bukar, but the committee rejected the
representation, insisting that the SGF must appear in person.

While appearing before the lawmakers on Monday,  Lawal
explained  that his absence was caused by the death of the
wife of the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung.

The meeting between the SGF and the committee, which lasted
about 45 minutes, was attended by the Chairman, Tijjani Kaura (APC,
Zamfara North) and the Vice-Chairman, Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna
North).

Speaking on the 2017 budget proposal of the Office of the SGF,
Lawal said his office proposed N9.882,782, 935 for 2017.

Out of this, the SGF said N3,408,763,591 was proposed for
personnel costs; while N3,781,628,226 was proposed for overheads,
an increase of N2bn when compared to the 2016 appropriation.

According to the SGF, the amount proposed for overheads would be
used for funding the activities and programmes of other offices
headed by the permanent secretaries in the OSGF, as well as
activities and programmes of political office holders such as the
special advisers and senior special assistants to the
President.

Lawal also said his office budgeted N2,692,391,118 for capital
projects for the fiscal year.

Lawal decried that funds appropriated to the Office of the SGF
in the 2016 budget were grossly inadequate to meet some of the
responsibilities of the office.

The lawmakers, in their separate responses, agreed with Lawal
that the 10 per cent release by the Ministry of Finance to the OSGF
in 2016 was insufficient, particularly against the backdrop of what
was proposed.

The committee pointed out that the development was an indication
that there was a problem between the Budget Office and the Ministry
of Finance, which must be tackled.

Hunkuyi, while commending the Federal Government for adequate
releases to ministries, departments and agencies in 2016, stated
that the committee would investigate the poor release of funds to
the OSGF.

“Something is definitely wrong and we need to get to the root of
what went wrong. If it is a problem between finance and budget, we
need to get at it and understand what it is. It is unlike this
government to do that. We need to come down to what went wrong;
where and who is in charge of that and remedy it,” he said.

Drawing the attention of the SGF to the non-payment of
allowances to former presidents, Hunkuyi demanded to know if same
was captured in the 2017 budget.

The SGF, in his response, said the allowances for former
presidents had been “sufficiently” covered in the 2017 budget,
“though not openly budgeted for in the proposal.”

The post SGF appears before Senate, defends N9.88bn
budget appeared first from online sources and was reposted by the community on Welcome to 9jalegal –
Nigeria’s Leading Legal Information and Services Portal.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir
Lawal, on Monday appeared before the Senate Committee on Federal
Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs to defend the N9.88bn
budgeted by his office for 2017.

Lawal, who was billed to appear before the lawmakers on
Thursday, had sent the Permanent Secretary (General Services)
Office of the SGF, Mohammed Bukar, but the committee rejected the
representation, insisting that the SGF must appear in person.

While appearing before the lawmakers on Monday,  Lawal
explained  that his absence was caused by the death of the
wife of the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung.

The meeting between the SGF and the committee, which lasted
about 45 minutes, was attended by the Chairman, Tijjani Kaura (APC,
Zamfara North) and the Vice-Chairman, Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna
North).

Speaking on the 2017 budget proposal of the Office of the SGF,
Lawal said his office proposed N9.882,782, 935 for 2017.

Out of this, the SGF said N3,408,763,591 was proposed for
personnel costs; while N3,781,628,226 was proposed for overheads,
an increase of N2bn when compared to the 2016 appropriation.

According to the SGF, the amount proposed for overheads would be
used for funding the activities and programmes of other offices
headed by the permanent secretaries in the OSGF, as well as
activities and programmes of political office holders such as the
special advisers and senior special assistants to the
President.

Lawal also said his office budgeted N2,692,391,118 for capital
projects for the fiscal year.

Lawal decried that funds appropriated to the Office of the SGF
in the 2016 budget were grossly inadequate to meet some of the
responsibilities of the office.

The lawmakers, in their separate responses, agreed with Lawal
that the 10 per cent release by the Ministry of Finance to the OSGF
in 2016 was insufficient, particularly against the backdrop of what
was proposed.

The committee pointed out that the development was an indication
that there was a problem between the Budget Office and the Ministry
of Finance, which must be tackled.

Hunkuyi, while commending the Federal Government for adequate
releases to ministries, departments and agencies in 2016, stated
that the committee would investigate the poor release of funds to
the OSGF.

“Something is definitely wrong and we need to get to the root of
what went wrong. If it is a problem between finance and budget, we
need to get at it and understand what it is. It is unlike this
government to do that. We need to come down to what went wrong;
where and who is in charge of that and remedy it,” he said.

Drawing the attention of the SGF to the non-payment of
allowances to former presidents, Hunkuyi demanded to know if same
was captured in the 2017 budget.

The SGF, in his response, said the allowances for former
presidents had been “sufficiently” covered in the 2017 budget,
“though not openly budgeted for in the proposal.”

The post SGF appears before Senate, defends N9.88bn
budget appeared first from online sources and was reposted by the community on Welcome to 9jalegal –
Nigeria’s Leading Legal Information and Services Portal.