Senate passes N876b NDDC budget

• Okays N451m for aides of 12 NDDC board members

Senate has approved the 2023 budget of N876 billion for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), out of which N451 million was set-aside for aides of 12 board members of the commission.

Aside the N451 million, N576 million was earmarked for running of office of the Chairman of the commission, Laurreta Onochie.

The breakdown of this amount indicated that personnel cost would gulp N156 million, overhead, N312 million and internal capital, N108 million.

For the Managing Director’s Office, N546.60 million was approved for personnel cost, N747.50 million for overhead, and N163.50 million for internal capital.

Others are Executive Director, Finance & Administration Office, whose personnel cost was put at N133.34 million, overhead, N457.47 million and N163.50 million for internal capital.

The Corporate Affairs Department of the commission also got N1.061 billion, out of which N431.08 million is for personnel cost, N845.57 million for overhead and N63.09 million for internal audit.

In the overall budget of the commission, personnel expenditure gulps N34.2 billion, overhead expenditure will gulp N17 billion, internal capital expenditure takes N3.7 billion, while development projects will gulp N490 billion and Federal Government intervention in the Niger Delta, N330 billion.

The revenue sources to finance the budget are revenue brought forward, N5 billion, Federal Government contribution, N119 billion, Federal Government contribution (unpaid areas), N430 billion, oil companies contributions, N297 billion, ecological funds, N20 billion and other internally realised income, N500 million.

Senator Bulus Amos presented approval for the budget in his capacity as Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs.

In his remarks after passage of the budget, Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, said the exercise was expedient not to let the people of the region suffer from further delays.

16 out of the 30-member committee signed the report and was approved by the Senate.