Turaki A. Hassan
9 December 2011
The House of Representatives on Wednesday yesterday approved the virement of N31.9 billion out of the N98.4 billion requested by President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 budget.
The MPs also extended the life span of the 2011 budget to March next year “in order to ensure effective implementation of capital projects across the country.”
President Jonathan had sought an additional N33 billion for his home region out of the N98 billion.
The Appropriation committee headed by Rep John Enoh (PDP, Cross Rivers) recommended that the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Science and Technology, Culture and Tourism, Mines and Steel, Federal Civil Service Commission, Service Wide Votes, Public Complaints Commission, National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP); ICPC and National Sports Commission should not benefit from the virement.
In the N31.8 billion approved FCT got N940.7 million against N17 billion; Federal Ministry of Agriculture got N820.6 million against N6.3 billion; Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development got N2.9 billion while Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs got N10.9 billion.
Federal Ministry of Aviation got N3.953 billion against N9.4 billion; Education got N538.2 million against N7.7 billion; Defence and Nigerian Army got N1 billion against over N3 billion; National Sports Commission got N810.6 million against N1.4 billion; Health got N6.549 billion for Federal Ministry of Health; N3.4 billion for Police Formations and Command while Public Complaint Commission got N15 million.
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