Niger Assembly Frowns at Bogus N156.3M Spending

The Niger state House of Assembly has frowned over the extra-budgetary and out of budgetary spending of the state Ministry of Transportation.

The legislators gave their approval over the N156.3 million said to have been expended for the construction of three pedestrian bridges and N8.3 million to block U-Turns in Minna metropolis in 2017.

The Ministry of Transportation during its budget defence told the Legislators that  yesterday said it expended N156.3 million for the construction of three pedestrian bridges and N8.3 million to block U-Turns in Minna metropolis in 2017.

Giving an appraisal of projects done in 2017, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Abdullahi Usman Imam said that the pedestrian bridges which were 100 per cent completed were located at the College of Education junction,  Mobile roundabout and Kure Ultra-modern market.

The Permanent Secretary also disclosed the installation of traffic lights in six locations across the state capital at N103.4 million adding that the ministry accessed N260 million out of N460 million budgeted for 2017.

However, the House Committee on Transportation frowned at the high cost and inflation of contracts by the Ministry accusing the ministry of extra-budgetary and out of budgetary spending.

According to the House Committee Chairman, Honorable Umar Mohammed Jiya, the pedestrian bridges were approved to be constricted at N81 million while N25 million was approved for the installation of traffic lights adding that the blockage of U-Turns was not approved in the 2017 budget.

He added that the contract for the close up of U-Turns was awarded at N6.8 million while the ministry presented N8.2 million as the amount at which the contract was awarded.

A member of the Committee,  Abdullahi Adamu Mamagi said that there is no moral justification for the construction of pedestrian bridges adding that the bridges are not being utilized adding that the money should have been used for other needs.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation also disclosed that the ministry intends to expend N87 million for street identification marks in Minna, Suleja, Bida and Kontagora and N98 million for the construction of road billboards.

This was overruled by the Committee who said that the concept do not have direct impact on the people adding that the proposed amount would be directed to other uses that would be beneficial to the people.

The House Committee had to postpone the budget defence due to some discrepancies they discovered which could not be substantiated by the staff of the Ministry of Transportation.

 

The post Niger Assembly Frowns at Bogus N156.3M Spending appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.