Reps panel knocks Ministry for providing ‘half-baked’ budget details

The House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals has expressed disappointment over the failure of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to provide comprehensive budget details for 2024.

The lawmakers however demanded details of all projects embarked on by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development in the past year.

Chairman of the Committee Gbewfi Jonathan Gaza, made the demand when the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mary Ogbe, appeared before the panel to defend the 2024 budget.

Gaza who expressed displeasure with the inconsistencies in the presentation of the Permanent Secretary, resolved that all documents about all jobs carried out by the Ministry be made available before next Tuesday.

The Committee also queried the Ministry for not capturing most of the projects it embarked on in the presentation it made.

Gaza said, “We are expecting the budget and we cannot appropriate if we do not know the true status of the utilisation of what has been given you in 2024.

“We were quite detailed when we sent you then documents we required. You must provide details of all the projects, budget codes, budget items, appropriated amount, contractors, amount awarded, date of award, the status of the projects, the percentage with regards to performance, and the lot numbers among others.

“So all these individual items must be captured in detail in this document so that Nigerians would know how the money that has been appropriated has been utilised.

“There are a number of projects that were not captured in the presentation to the Committee. There was no explanation whatsoever.

“Don’t give us any half baked documents again. Every line must be adhered to. And give us the advertisement that was done, the code the contractors and everything. Even if it is before. FEC. Kindly put it in the remark section. Go and work on your documents again and make a proper presentation. Let’s have a comprehensive submission.”

Earlier the Permanent Secretary said a total of N25.05 billion was appropriated as expenditure outlay for the ministry in the 2024 budget.

“This comprised of 894.4 million as overhead cost and 23.15 billion as capital expenditure. The personnel cost of the Ministry was captured in the captured still in the Ministry of Steel Development for 2024 because the personnel separation had not been fully executed.

“On appropriation releases to the Ministry, she said for overhead, the total appropriation is N895, 441, 335. As at October 31st 2024, N745, 367, 779 had been released. Balances as at October 31, is N149, 073, 555. Percentage of releases of the appropriation for the overhead is 83 percent. Expenditure on release is the same amount that has been released. So there is a hundred percent performance. For capital appropriation it is N23, 150, 884, 863. Out of which N2, 724, 818, 977 has been released. 11 percent had been released and percentage performance is 100 percent.

“The Ministry achieved a 100 percent utilisation mainly of non debt recurrent expenditure and the percentage utilisation in capital as at the end of October is 11 percent. This is because the procurement process is still ongoing and some are awaiting FEC approval. With the bottom-up cash plan, works must be executed before payment.”