Defence Ministry padded 2023 budget proposal with over N10.8bn—Senate

Senate has frowned at Ministry of Defence for  inserting a total sum  of N10.8 billion in its proposed 2023  budget. The Senate took up the Minister of Defence,  Major General Bashir Magashi, rtd when he appeared before the  Senator Aliyu Wamakko, led Senate Committee on Defence during the  defence of the budget proposals of the Ministry. 

The padding of  N10. 8 billion in the budget which was  pointed out by the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Istifanus Gyang, comprises of N8.6 billion earmarked for procurement of military hardwares /  equipment and N2.25billion for safe School initiatives .

Gyang said, ” Hon Minister, in the proposed 2023  budget of your Ministry N8.6 billion is discovered to have been allocated for purchase of military hardwares and N2.25 billion for Safe School Initiatives. The two items when critically viewed were not supposed to be in the Ministry ‘s budget since hardware procurements are done by the Army, Navy and Air Force and Safe School Initiative by the Federal Ministry of Education. These to us are duplications  of budgetary votes which require explanations from you.” Responding, the Minister sought  permission of the Committee for the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry,  Dr Ibrahim  Abubakar Kana to respond .

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary who  told the Committee that the sums were  inserted into the Ministry ‘s budget for 2022 fiscal year by the Minister of Finance and National Planning , Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said,”The two budgetary votes were not initiative of the Ministry . The Ministry of Finance and National Planning put them there.” Not happy with the explanations  by the Permanent Secretary, the Committee through its Chairman, Senator Aliyu Wamakko told the Minister that both the N8.6 billion and N2.25billion proposals for procurement of hard wares and Safe School Initiatives would be expunged from the Ministry’s budget.