Inalegwu Shaibu
10 October 2008
The Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation has described the release of N9.5 billion extra-budgetary expenditure to the marine sector of the Ministry of Transportation by the Presidency as an abuse of the budgetary process
The chairman of the committee, Senator Heineken Lopkobiri faulting the release yesterday at the resumed public hearing on the investigation of the management of funds and policy implementation in the transportation sector held at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja also condemned the poor accounting systems of Federal Government ministries and agencies.
"I must tell you that the accounting system of federal ministries and agencies is extremely poor. I do not understand how the accounting officers keep their records. Each time the chief executives of government agencies appear before us, they bombard us with conflicting figures which goes on to make our work difficult," he said.
He said it is condemnable for government not to have released the total amount of N15.278 billion allocated to the sector for the period under review only for it to turn around and approve N9.5 billion as extra-budgetary expenditure to the sector.
The Minister of State for Water Transportation, Mr. John Emeka, earlier in his testimony before the committee said that of the N15.278 billion allocated to the sector in the period under review, only N5.828 billion was released.
This, according to him prompted the Presidency directing that the balance of N9.450 billion be release to the marine sector to enable the ministry implement some of its on-going project as a result of the non-release of the total sum budgeted within the period.
He also told the committee that Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA) within the period generated a total of N548.336 billion, while it expended N453.589 billion and remitted N11.362 million to the federation account.
But the Nigerian Shippers' Council generated the total revenue of N13. 722 billion while it remitted only N300 million to the treasury.
Commenting the poor accounting system in federal government ministries, Senator Lokpobiri urged the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) to set up machinery towards enhancing the capacity of account officers in the various ministries, agencies and parastatals for effective service delivery.
"The Accountant General needs to retool his workers. Machinery should be put in place for staff development capacity to enable them serve us better. It is an embarrassment for us to keep telling the chief executives to go back and reconcile their accounts each time they come before us." He said.
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