"I see that you intend to travel to Geneva next year and you have budgeted over one billion for that. We can't keep going on with over-bloated teams on abroad trips. Use the experts we have in your offices in the country to save costs."
The Minister of Trade, Industry and Investments, Doris Uzoka-Anite, is proposing to spend over a billion naira on a trip to Geneva next year.
The proposed spending is contained in the allocation of the ministry in the 2024 budget.
Adams Oshiomhole, the senator representing Edo North, spoke on the allocation on Tuesday when the minister appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Trade, Industry and Investment, to defend her ministry's budget.
Mr Oshiomhole, who is also the chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, was not specific about the actual amount the minister proposed for travelling to Geneva.
He only mentioned that the trade, industry and investment minister is proposing to spend over N1 billion on a trip to Geneva.
The details were not released to journalists either after the budget defence.
During the defence, Mr Oshiomhole questioned the rationale behind the minister's plan to spend over one billion naira on a trip to Geneva amidst economic hardship that has forced many Nigerians into poverty.
''I see that you intend to travel to Geneva next year and you have budgeted over one billion for that. We can't keep going on with over-bloated teams on abroad trips. Use the experts we have in your offices in the country to save costs.
''Let us practice what we preach. We cannot talk about industrialisation and keep importing toothpicks and tyres. We must ensure that we have homegrown products,'' he said.
Sit down in your office and work
Mr Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, advised Mrs Uzoka-Anite to develop the trade and investment sector of Nigeria through foreign investors.
''What is our balance of trade, especially with China? Those countries importing things to Nigeria are expected to build factories in Nigeria. We have to take advantage of our population to grow our industries''.
''Madam, sit in your office and work for Nigerians. I have gone there twice. You are always in the BOI. If you preferred the BOI, you should have declined the president's nomination to be a minister'' the senator said.
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Responding, Mrs Nkiruka-Anite claimed that she doesn't stay in her office because it is under renovation.
''I assure you that I can work from anywhere and give Nigerians results. My office is currently under renovation.
No record of trade balance in my office - Minister
The minister also said her ministry does not have a record of the country's trade balance.
''Sir I regret to say that we seem to have no record of our balance of trade. Or at least it doesn't exist in the ministry and that is why we initiated a new unit called the trade intelligence unit to ensure that such data are generated and stored.''
Criticism over-bloated COP28 delegation
The federal government had recently come under heavy criticism for sending over 400 delegates to the Climate Change Summit, COP28, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the government spent at least N2.7 billion to sponsor the delegates to attend the 13-day summit which ended on 12 December.
Altogether, Nigeria had 1,411 delegates attending the event, out of which the government said it sponsored 422.
