Aso Rock yet to get N5.7bn from 2016 budget

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The State House has said, it is yet to receive about N5.745 billion of its 2016 budget representing 52.5 per cent of N10.9 billion approved.

The Villa said it has so far received a total of N5.196 billion as capital release from the 2016 budget amounting to 47.5 per cent of its budget.

This was disclosed on Thursday by the Permanent Secretary, Jalal Arabi, to members of the House Committee on Special Duties during their oversight visit to the State House, Abuja.

According to Arabi, the released amount of N4.8 billion (93.1 per cent) has so far been expended on the projects for which the funds were tied and released.

The Permanent Secretary also disclosed that for the 2017 budget, the State House had re-prioritised projects in the Medical Centre and suspended most of its capital expenditure proposals for now. He added that the State House will, however, take advantage of the supplementary budget window when necessary.

The 2017 budget has been reviewed downwards to N13,567,979,278.72 from N16,563,395,992.00.

All allocations for the 2016 recurrent expenditure have been received up to the month of December 2016. On the other hand, the capital releases were made for three out of five subheads in the State House budget, he said.

The House Committee on Special Duties, inaugurated by the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, was led by the Chairman, Nasir Daura.

While the State House headquarters, State House Medical Centre and State House Lagos liaison office, received releases, no releases were made for the Chief of Staff and the Office of the Chief Security Officer to the President as both releases are still pending.

Arabi had last November told the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs who visited on an oversight function that the State House had received N2.71 billion for recurrent expenditure, representing 70.69 per cent. A total of N3.06 billion had also been released amounting to 27.9 per cent of the capital appropriation for 2016.

Explaining the new releases, Arabi said, “the State House capital budget has always been situated in five cost centres as against seven under the recurrent, with a total appropriation of N11,140,852,010. However, releases were only made to three cost centres.

“N5,196,581,458.64 was released to date amounting to 47 per cent of the amount appropriated, leaving a balance of N5,745,905,910.36 and representing 52.5 per cent.

“Of the released amount, N4,839,238,955.97 (93.1 per cent) has so far been expended on the projects for which the funds were tied and released,” Arabi said.

“We are still expecting additional releases before the end of March especially on hospital equipment to enable us conclude some of the procurements as per the budget.”

Arabi also said the 2017 budget has become less ambitious than the 2016 appropriation as personnel, overhead and capital costs were minimally reviewed upwards.

“The State House estimates are all based on existing projects that are classified as ongoing and that are simply rolled over from the 2016 appropriation and so, have the potential of being reduced in case additional releases are made for the projects before the end of the extended implementation period (March 2017). There is therefore no newly conceived project for the 2017 budget.

“We have equally re-prioritised the State House Medical Centre projects, which are undergoing a review, hence the suspension of all the capital expenditure proposals for now. We shall, however, take advantage of the supplementary budget window when necessary,” Arabi said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the committee said they had come to determine the level of implementation of the 2016 budget as well as on a fact finding mission to inspect completed and ongoing projects at the State House.

According to him, this will help the correct the ongoing misinformation about State House, as well as to curb corruption and ensure that the country comes out of recession.

-The Sun