2020 Budget: ‘SDGs Office has no power to review proposal’

 Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation/Victor Oluwasegun

THE Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) said on Saturday it was not aware of a strange N33 billion included in its 2020 budget.

It said the SDGs Office has no power whatsoever over the review of the budgetary proposal.

It said the responsibility of the Office over the years has been limited to implementing the budget as duly approved and signed by the President.

The Office of the SDGs made the clarifications in a statement in Abuja against the backdrop of the controversy over the inclusion of N33 billion in the 2020 budget of the office.

Although the Office of the SDGs had proposed about N45 billion, about N40 billion was approved by the National Assembly as its 2020 budget.

In the final budget passed into law, an additional budget line of N33 billion was credited to the office.

A statement by the Head, Communications in OSSAP-SDGs, Janet Mcdickson said the said N33 billion or any other allocation aside the duly appropriated figure was not known to the Office.

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She said: “The attention of the Office of Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals has been drawn to the story making the round in the media insinuating that the allocation to the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals in the 2020 budget as presented by Mr. President was jerked up by additional N33 billion in the Appropriation Bill finally passed by the National Assembly.

“The Office wishes to state that the said amount or any other allocation aside the duly appropriated figure is not known to the Office.

“The Office also wishes to state that aside the opportunity to defend its budget proposal before the relevant committees at the National Assembly as prerequisites for the passage of Budget, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs has no power whatsoever over the review of the budgetary proposal.

“As such, the responsibility of ýthe Office over the years has been limited to implementing the budget as duly approved and signed by the President, subject to release of funds appropriated for the different sub-headsý.

“We therefore view the story and the insinuations therein as attempts to drag the Office into unnecessary controversies and would like to advise the media to endeavour to always cross check their facts before going to press.

The Chairman, House Committee on SDGs, Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye, in a similar statement denied that his committee indicted Adefulire.

He said: “The attention of the House Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been drawn to a publication by The Nation Newspaper, with the headline: “2020 Budget: Row over N33b SDGs’ vote”, stating that the sum of N33 billion was included in the allocation of  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 2020 Budget without details being provided to the National Assembly and consequently direct the Ministry of Finance to stop release of allocation to the SDGs office.

“In setting the records straight, The House Committee on SDGs hereby states that a correspondence was sent to the Finance Ministry in respect the subject matter, upon which clarification was sought from the SDGs office without any indictment on the person or the office of the SSA-SDGs, indicating misappropriation of the 2020 budgetary allocation of her office.

“The House Committee on SDGs got records from the OSSAP-SDGs  and Appropriation committee which show the said additional 33 billion was not appropriated for SDGs office among provisions of the 2020 budget earlier assented by Mr. President upon which we all know the prevalence of Covid-19 distorted implementation of entire 2020 budget.

“The legislature is determined to ensure adequate oversight of all appropriated (sums) for the implementation of SDGs programmes in all ministries and agencies of government as well captured, as soon as we get adequate correspondence from  the House appropriation committee to further ascertain fund release in order to guide our oversight activities.

“Hence, the recent official correspondence from both Senate and House SDGs committees to the finance ministry to release the budget provisions of OSSAP-SDGs so as to enable our committee to oversight accordingly.

“This clarification became imperative to avoid any misrepresentation of the earlier correspondence between the National Assembly Committees on SDGs and Finance Ministry as any financial indictment on the person and office of the OSSAP-SDGs.”