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Tag: NDDC budget

  • NDDC Budget: Senate bars Interim Management

    Sanni Onogu, Abuja

     

    President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Thursday, barred the Interim Management of the Niger Development Development Commission (NDDC) from defending the agency’s 2020 budget.

    Lawan, while referring President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to the Senate Committee on NDDC, directed the panel to deal strictly with members the Governing Board of the agency recently screened and approved by the Senate.

    “I want to also reiterate here that you (Senate Committee on NDDC) deal with the governing board this Senate has approved,” Lawan said while referring the agency budget proposals for 2020 to the Senate Committee on NDDC for further legislative work.

    The Senate had earlier faulted the rationale behind the submission of the 2020 budget of the NDDC while members of the governing board of the agency already cleared by the have not assumed duty.

    It could be recalled that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, had appointed an Interim Management Committee to oversee the agency, the clearance of nominated Board members notwithstanding.

    Senate had described the Interim Management as an anomaly when an approved body is not allowed to assume duties as board members.

    Read Also: Senate kicks as President submits NDDC’s Budget 

    Members of the NDDC Governing Board confirmed by the Senate include a former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu and Bernard Okumagba as Chairman and Managing Director respectively.

    Others are Executive Director Projects, Engr. Otobong Ndem (Akwa Ibom), Executive Director Finance and Administration, Maxwell Okoh from Bayelsa State, Delta State representative, Prophet Jones Erue; Chief Victor Ekhator (Edo) and Nwogu Nwogu (Abia), Theodore Allison, representing Bayelsa State, Victor Antai (Akwa Ibom); Maurice Effiwatt (Cross River); Olugbenga Elema (Ondo) and Hon. Uchegbu Chidiebere Kyrian (Imo).

    Also confirmed were the Northeast representative, Ardo Zubairu from Adamawa state, Ambassador Abdullahi Bage from Nasarawa State to represent the North Central zone as well as Aisha Murtala Muhammed, from Kano State, to represent the Northwest Zone.

    However, while the Senate was busy with the consideration processes, the Niger Delta Affairs Minister appointed a 3-man Interim Management Committee to over activities of the Commission.

    Those appointed by Akpabio included the Acting Managing Director, Dr. Joi Nunieh, Acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chief Ibanga Bassey Etang and the Acting Executive Director, Projects, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh.

  • Ondo gets priority in NDDC budget proposal

    Ondo gets priority in NDDC budget proposal

    Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) acting Managing Director Mrs. Ibim Semenitari said yesterday that Ondo State has been given a preferential treatment in the 2016 budget.

    The action, she said, was taken to prevent incessant outcry of marginalisation.

    Mrs. Semenitari spoke with reporters in Akure, the state capital, during a two-day training for the agencies’ top management on procurement and due process mechanism.

    She said other states were shortchanged this year to ensure that those which produce less oil benefit more.

    According to her, projects award in the NDDC states is subject to the production quota policy and the Act establishing the commission.

    It stipulates that the states that produce more oil get more projects. There are nine oil producing states.

    Mrs. Semenitari said: “This year, in our budget proposal, those who produce more are actually getting a bit less than their production quota; and those

    who don’t produce as much are getting more than their production quota.”

    She said the motive was to make sure that there won’t be massive variance in the levels of growth in the area.

    According to her, it was aimed at achieving even distribution and growth.

    The NDDC boss said the commission would embark on projects’ inspection across the state.

    She said her last visit to the sites was to ensure that no project was abandoned by contractors.

    Mrs. Semenitari said the procurement and due process mechanism training would help public agencies to deliver value for money, so that the tax-payers money can be judiciously used to deliver the people’s needs.

     

  • Senate passes N241b NDDC budget

    The Senate yesterday passed N241 billion as this year’s budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    The Federal Government proposed N260 billion as the intervention agency’s budget.

    This followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on NDDC, presented by its chairman, Peter Nwaoboshi.

    The senator said President Muhammadu Buhari presented a budget proposal of N260 billion for the commission in the 2016 fiscal year.

    The Delta North senator said the proposal was reduced to make its implementation more realistic.

    He said votes for expenditure included Personnel (N18 billion), Overhead (N10 billion), Internal Capital (N1 billion) and development Project (N231 billion).

    Nwaoboshi said the revenue sources for the budget included the revenue brought forward of N10 billion and Federal Government’s contribution of N110 billion.

    The senator said other revenue sources included oil companies’ contributions and others, amounting to N130 billion; ecological funds of N10 billion and other internally realised income of N100 million.

    He said adjustments were made to reflect the new figure of N241 billion budget figure.

    Nwaoboshi said: “Reduction was made only in the Capital Projects amounting to 8.2 per cent.”

    The reduction, he added, did not affect the recurrent expenditure.

    The Chairman of Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt, Shehu Sani, hailed the committee for a job well done.

    Sani urged the Senate to pass the budget because of the need to improve revenue generation for the country.

    He said: “They have done a good job. As long as oil remains the engine room in the country, with the blowing up of pipelines, we must make sacrifices. If considered the budget may address salient issues in the economy.”

    Senator Matthew Urhogide (Edo South), in his contribution, urged the government to pay outstanding money owed the commission to enable it carry out its mandate.

    He decried the action of oil companies that ought to contribute three per cent of their annual budget to the commission but were not living up to the agreement.

    He said, “the companies  on their part do not disclose their budget to the commission and I think the commission over the years derailed in its responsibilities by failing to ensuring that  companies kept to the agreement.

    “Another source of income is 50 percent from ecological fund which has not been paid.

    “If all those that ought to contribute to funding the commission leave up to expectation the commission will be able to implement  the budget.”

  • Senate passes 299.526b NDDC budget

    Senate passes 299.526b NDDC budget

    The Senate yesterday approved N299.526billion as the 2015 budget for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator James Manager, whose committee worked on the budget, presented it for consideration and adoption.

    Components of the budget included Personnel expenditure, N16.133billion, Overhead expenditure N10.423billion; Capital expenditure (internal) N1.879billion; Project (development) expenditure N271.09billion

    Revenue sources according to the budget estimate included revenue brought forward, N10billion; Federal Government contribution N70 billion, Federal government contribution (unpaid arrears) N20 billion; oil companies contribution and others N160 billion; Ecological Funds, N40 billion and Internally Realized Income N100 million, all amounting to N300.1billion.

    Manager said the Committee considered the proposal and noted that the non-project expenditure-personnel, overhead and internal capital totaling N28.465million represented 9.5 per cent of the total proposed budget for the year as against 8.43 per cent in 2014.

  • Senate passes NDDC budget

    Senate passes NDDC budget

    The Senate on Thurday passed a budget of N299, 526,463,156.12 as 2015 budget for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator James Manager, whose committee worked on the budget presented it for consideration and adoption.

    Components of the budget included personnel expenditure, N16, 133,377, 133.000; overhead expenditure N10, 423,319,000.00; capital expenditure (internal) N1, 879, 769, 000.12 and project (development) expenditure N271, 089,998,023.00.

    Revenue sources, according to the budget estimate included revenue brought forward, N10,000,000, 000.00; Federal Government contribution N70 billion, Federal government contribution (unpaid arrears) N20 billion; oil companies contribution and others N160 billion; ecological funds N40 billion and internally realized income N100 million giving a total of N300,100, 000,000.00.

    Manager said his committee considered the proposal and noted that the non-project expenditure-personnel, overhead and internal capital totaling N28,465,133,.12 represented 9.5 per cent of the total proposed budget for the year as against 8.43 per cent in 2014.

    He noted that the Project Development Expenditure as proposed is N271,089,998,023.00 represented 90.5 percent of the total proposed budget for the year as against 91.46 per cent in 2014.

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over Thursday’s plenary, commended the committee members for a job well done and asked that the budget be fully implemented for the benefit of the country.

     

  • Jonathan seeks Senate’s approval of N299.5b NDDC budget

    Jonathan seeks Senate’s approval of N299.5b NDDC budget

    President Goodluck  Jonathan, yesterday presented N299.5 billion as the 2015 budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for consideration and approval.

    The amount is N23.1billion lesser than that of last year which was N322.6billion.

    Jonathan in the letter read at plenary by Senate President, David Mark, said he was acting, pursuant to Section 18 (1) of the NDDC Establishment Act.

    He said: “The Commission has submitted a budget proposal of N299,526,463,156.12 for 2015 as against N322,600,000,000.00 only in 2014 representing a decline of 7.1 per cent over last year’s budget.”

    The proposed budget  according to the president,  is made up of personnel expenditure of N16,133,370.00, recurrent expenditure of N10,423,031,000, internal capital expenditure of N1,879,076,000.00 and capital projects development expenditure of N271,089,900,000.00 only.

    The sources of revenue for the proposed budget, he added, are revenue brought forward of N10billion;  Federal Government contribution of N70billion; unpaid arrears by Federal Government of N20billion; and oil companies contribution and others of N160billion.

    Jonathan also explained that the budget would be funded with Ecological Fund of N40billion and other internally generated revenue (IGR) estimated at N100million, amounting to N300.1billion.

    Meanwhile, the absence of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Ahmed Maccido, stalled the formal presentation of its report on the 2015 budget.

    Maccido, was not available to present the document when he was invited to do so by the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma – Egba.

    This necessitated the postponement of the presentation to the next legislative day.

    The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)  also suffered setback as the Chairman,  Joint Committee on Petroleum (Upstream & Downstream ), and Gas Resources, Senator Emmanuel Paulker,  was not also available to present the report before the lawmakers.

     

  • Jonathan presents N322.6b NDDC budget to Senate

    Jonathan presents N322.6b NDDC budget to Senate

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday presented N322.600 billion as this year’s budget proposal of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the Senate for  approval.

    The figure represented 2.1 per cent increase on last year’s budget of the commission which stood at N315.085 billion.

    The proposed budget comprised Personnel  Expenditure of N15.80billion, Recurrent Expenditure of N10.186 billion, Capital Expenditure of N2.281billion and Project Development Expenditure of N295.051billion.

    According to Mr. President’s letter, sources of revenue for the proposed budget include  N23 million brought forward, Federal Government’s contribution of N50million and Federal Government’s contribution of excess crude arrears of N50million.

    Other sources are oil companies contribution of N130million, Ecological Fund of N57 million, internally generated revenue (IGR) of N100million and  unpaid arrears from 2012 approved budget of N12.5million.