Daily Independent (Lagos)
Andrew Airahuobhor
6 July 2009
Strong indications emerged Friday that the Senate Committee on Marine Transport will, within the next one week, approve the 2009 budget proposal of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) seven months into the year.
Dependable source close to the committee told Sunday Independent that although the committee was not satisfied with the budget defence, its members however would have to approve it reluctantly to avoid its delay indefinitely.
He said that the committee would approve the budget and keep other specific questions as part of its oversight functions later.
The Senate committee has not been able to approve NIMASA 2009 budget seven months into the year because of the agency's inability to justify 2008 budget, the performance of which in the estimation of the committee, was dismal.
The committee had also expressed displeasure at the manner the agency submitted its budget proposal, which Gbemisola Saraki, chairperson of the committee, described as "the NIMASA budget ritual" of presenting and withdrawing budget proposals.
According to Saraki last month at the budget defence, the current 2009 budget proposal being considered by the committee was the third. "The committee was presented with the first budget on 13th of January, then that was withdrawn and yet another presented on the 5th of February, 2009 and finally, the copy that we shall be considering today was presented on the 30th March, 2009." However, Saraki urged the Minister of Transport, Ibrahim Bio, whose ministry supervises NIMASA, to ensure that in future, the agency should submit its budget proposal to the ministry by September 30th in accordance with section 16 (1) of the NIMASA Act.
She said that if it is done like that, the ministry would have enough time to look through and conclude before budgets are presented to the committee by the last week of November.
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