EVEN in her absence, members of the House of Representatives
yesterday expressed their anger with the Finance Minister and Co-ordinating
Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, over the way she has
hijacked the functions of some agencies.
They issued a warrant of arrest against her and ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed D. Abubakar, to ensure her arrest.
She will, however, be let off the hook if she appears before the House of Representatives Committee on Pension next week.
Members of the committee were angry that Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has taken over the police pension scheme which has led to delay in the payment of pension to retired officers.
Some of those affected are former IGPs Sunday Adewusi, Sunday Ehindero, DIG Akeredolu and others.
Despite several invitations, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has refused to appear before the committee.
Chairman of the committee, Ibrahim Bawa Kamba, who read the decision of the committee after waiting for the minister several hours without any apology for non appearance, noted that it was obvious that the minister was not ready to appear and explain reason why she took over Police Pension Office without regard to the Pension Reform Act and oversight responsibility of the committee.
He said: “We have been inviting the Minister of Finance over the problems of police pension. She has been holding the police pension and several police pensioners have died due to non attendance, despite the fact that National Assembly appropriated money in the 2012 fiscal year”.
The committee wondered why the minister took over the schedule of the Police Pension Office “and this has generated controversy. The committee has received several petitions in this respect which the committee would have loved to resolve with the minister”.
"Following her refusal, the committee is going to issue a warrant of arrest against the minister. What she is doing is bad and we have decided to take this step. She has no right to neglect the call of the committee. We are not happy about this development, many former IGs have not been paid. Sunday Ehindero, Sunday Adewusi and DIG Akeredolu have not been listed due to the take over by the minister.
"We want to make it clear to Nigerians of our action because we hate playing with people's lives. We have received some petitions from the police that many police pensioners are not paid. We were bombarded with series of complaints. Severally, we have been writing to hear from the minister but she refused to heed our calls.
"She had taken over the schedule of the police pension. We are constrained to handle police pension, therefore, we would give police pension zero allocation. It is obvious that both the minister and the PENCOM are playing with people's lives," he added
Determined to ensure that the 2013 Budget is passed before embarking on the Christmas and New Year break, the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly yesterday adjourned plenary till December 11 and dissolved to the Appropriation Committee.
The Senate is, however, expected to proceed on Christmas and New Year break from December 20, a week after resumption of plenary and the budget is expected to have been passed into law.
The adjournment is, therefore, expected to allow the lawmakers conclude work on the 2013 Budget.
Chairmen of the 57 Senate Standing Committees will throughout next week appear before the Appropriation Committee headed by Ahmed Maccido from Sokoto to defend figures presented to them by Ministries; Departments and Agencies (MDAs) which they oversight.
At plenary yesterday, Deputy Majority Leader, Abdul Ningi, from Bauchi State, moved the motion for plenary adjournment and dissolution to Appropriation Committee and Senate President David Mark directed chairmen of the standing committees to ensure compliance with the time table of appearance before the Appropriation Committee.
At every budget year, the Appropriation Committee wields so much power as Ministers and Heads of government parastatals lobby its chairman to have their budgets either jacked up or passed as presented before the various committees.
Sources disclosed that Maccido and members of the Appropriation Committee have been inundated by calls and have come under intense pressures as the budgets approaches its final legal works.
Ministers and Heads of government parastatals have in the last three weeks been appearing before the various committees of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to defend figures of their agencies.
It was learnt that $78 may be adopted as the benchmark for the budget.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly yesterday sent serious warning to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala over the non release of funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDAs), saying, it is unacceptable.
The Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream, Upstream and Gas) yesterday passed the warning through the Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, when she appeared to defend the 2012 Budget and the 2013 proposal before the lawmakers.
The Petroleum Resources Minister had earlier told the committee that based on the amount released, the main ministry had over 90 per cent overall performance, but 70 per cent in project execution while she added that some are on-going.
Apparently angry at the disclosure, Senator Danjuma Goje sent words to the Finance Minister through her Petroleum Ministry counterpart, saying: "She should ask the Finance Minister where the money is or why is it that all ministries, departments and agencies are complaining of lack of money, is it that the oil is not selling?
"If the oil is being sold, let us know and we need a confirmation from you, if the oil is being sold, why and where is the money hanging? You, Diezani, are a victim and it is terrible for the country"
Corroborating Goje's argument, Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, said: "It is too unfortunate that at the eleventh month, only 41 per cent has so far been released, this is unacceptable.
"There is no way the ministry would have worked vehemently at the poor releases. We, at the National Assembly are not pleased at all that some people are sitting somewhere and the money is not been released.
"Get back to your colleague and pass this message to her, we would not continue sitting, wasting our precious time talking about 2012 performance when it has always been complaints of money not being released”.
In his own contribution, Senator Gbenga Ashafa took the minister up on the N5.9 billion been expended on just 249 workers of one of the agencies under the ministry, saying: "Last year, you requested for N5.9 billion to employ staff, have you employed those staff and we would want you to make available to us the average salary per person in the agency to justify the wastage".
But, the minister quickly responded: "We have not employed the staff and the money has not been released from the budget".
Paulker, after a rowdy session on a question a member of the House of Representatives asked on sanction for non-release of fund which he overruled, allowed the minister to present the 2013 Budget.
He, however, expressed worry that the addition of the overhead and capital does not tally with the figures given by the minister, saying: "On Ajaokuta Gas Pipeline, over N69 million was released in 2009, but nothing in 2012 and 2013. What is the status of the project and I also need to tell you that we are not happy with the funds appropriated for local content office”.
The minister presented an amount of N6.2 billion on awareness campaign on Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and N1 billion for the assessment and documentation of oil spill in the nine states of Niger Delta.
The committee frowned at the bill, describing it as outrageous.
The minister explained that over N128 million had been spent so far by the Ministry on Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which was allegedly dumped by the 6th National Assembly for passage.
Breaking down the money released between in 2012, she said that nothing was released in 2009, but in 2010, N94.5 million was spent for campaign, while N16.3 million was released in 2011 and 17.2 million released in 2012.
She told the committee that the theft of crude reduced in 2012 from 150k to 100k per barrel because, according to her, the ministry had collaborated with security agencies after they realised that the crude was not only being stole internally, but also along with foreign theft.
She further disclosed that gas flaring has also reduced from 63 to 21 per cent, while issues relating to the local content, discouraging of crude oil theft, regional cooperation in energy supply, trans-Sahara gas pipeline and improvement in the supply of gas to power were listed among the ministry achievement for 2012.
They issued a warrant of arrest against her and ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed D. Abubakar, to ensure her arrest.
She will, however, be let off the hook if she appears before the House of Representatives Committee on Pension next week.
Members of the committee were angry that Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has taken over the police pension scheme which has led to delay in the payment of pension to retired officers.
Some of those affected are former IGPs Sunday Adewusi, Sunday Ehindero, DIG Akeredolu and others.
Despite several invitations, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has refused to appear before the committee.
Chairman of the committee, Ibrahim Bawa Kamba, who read the decision of the committee after waiting for the minister several hours without any apology for non appearance, noted that it was obvious that the minister was not ready to appear and explain reason why she took over Police Pension Office without regard to the Pension Reform Act and oversight responsibility of the committee.
He said: “We have been inviting the Minister of Finance over the problems of police pension. She has been holding the police pension and several police pensioners have died due to non attendance, despite the fact that National Assembly appropriated money in the 2012 fiscal year”.
The committee wondered why the minister took over the schedule of the Police Pension Office “and this has generated controversy. The committee has received several petitions in this respect which the committee would have loved to resolve with the minister”.
"Following her refusal, the committee is going to issue a warrant of arrest against the minister. What she is doing is bad and we have decided to take this step. She has no right to neglect the call of the committee. We are not happy about this development, many former IGs have not been paid. Sunday Ehindero, Sunday Adewusi and DIG Akeredolu have not been listed due to the take over by the minister.
"We want to make it clear to Nigerians of our action because we hate playing with people's lives. We have received some petitions from the police that many police pensioners are not paid. We were bombarded with series of complaints. Severally, we have been writing to hear from the minister but she refused to heed our calls.
"She had taken over the schedule of the police pension. We are constrained to handle police pension, therefore, we would give police pension zero allocation. It is obvious that both the minister and the PENCOM are playing with people's lives," he added
Determined to ensure that the 2013 Budget is passed before embarking on the Christmas and New Year break, the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly yesterday adjourned plenary till December 11 and dissolved to the Appropriation Committee.
The Senate is, however, expected to proceed on Christmas and New Year break from December 20, a week after resumption of plenary and the budget is expected to have been passed into law.
The adjournment is, therefore, expected to allow the lawmakers conclude work on the 2013 Budget.
Chairmen of the 57 Senate Standing Committees will throughout next week appear before the Appropriation Committee headed by Ahmed Maccido from Sokoto to defend figures presented to them by Ministries; Departments and Agencies (MDAs) which they oversight.
At plenary yesterday, Deputy Majority Leader, Abdul Ningi, from Bauchi State, moved the motion for plenary adjournment and dissolution to Appropriation Committee and Senate President David Mark directed chairmen of the standing committees to ensure compliance with the time table of appearance before the Appropriation Committee.
At every budget year, the Appropriation Committee wields so much power as Ministers and Heads of government parastatals lobby its chairman to have their budgets either jacked up or passed as presented before the various committees.
Sources disclosed that Maccido and members of the Appropriation Committee have been inundated by calls and have come under intense pressures as the budgets approaches its final legal works.
Ministers and Heads of government parastatals have in the last three weeks been appearing before the various committees of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to defend figures of their agencies.
It was learnt that $78 may be adopted as the benchmark for the budget.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly yesterday sent serious warning to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala over the non release of funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDAs), saying, it is unacceptable.
The Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream, Upstream and Gas) yesterday passed the warning through the Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, when she appeared to defend the 2012 Budget and the 2013 proposal before the lawmakers.
The Petroleum Resources Minister had earlier told the committee that based on the amount released, the main ministry had over 90 per cent overall performance, but 70 per cent in project execution while she added that some are on-going.
Apparently angry at the disclosure, Senator Danjuma Goje sent words to the Finance Minister through her Petroleum Ministry counterpart, saying: "She should ask the Finance Minister where the money is or why is it that all ministries, departments and agencies are complaining of lack of money, is it that the oil is not selling?
"If the oil is being sold, let us know and we need a confirmation from you, if the oil is being sold, why and where is the money hanging? You, Diezani, are a victim and it is terrible for the country"
Corroborating Goje's argument, Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, said: "It is too unfortunate that at the eleventh month, only 41 per cent has so far been released, this is unacceptable.
"There is no way the ministry would have worked vehemently at the poor releases. We, at the National Assembly are not pleased at all that some people are sitting somewhere and the money is not been released.
"Get back to your colleague and pass this message to her, we would not continue sitting, wasting our precious time talking about 2012 performance when it has always been complaints of money not being released”.
In his own contribution, Senator Gbenga Ashafa took the minister up on the N5.9 billion been expended on just 249 workers of one of the agencies under the ministry, saying: "Last year, you requested for N5.9 billion to employ staff, have you employed those staff and we would want you to make available to us the average salary per person in the agency to justify the wastage".
But, the minister quickly responded: "We have not employed the staff and the money has not been released from the budget".
Paulker, after a rowdy session on a question a member of the House of Representatives asked on sanction for non-release of fund which he overruled, allowed the minister to present the 2013 Budget.
He, however, expressed worry that the addition of the overhead and capital does not tally with the figures given by the minister, saying: "On Ajaokuta Gas Pipeline, over N69 million was released in 2009, but nothing in 2012 and 2013. What is the status of the project and I also need to tell you that we are not happy with the funds appropriated for local content office”.
The minister presented an amount of N6.2 billion on awareness campaign on Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and N1 billion for the assessment and documentation of oil spill in the nine states of Niger Delta.
The committee frowned at the bill, describing it as outrageous.
The minister explained that over N128 million had been spent so far by the Ministry on Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which was allegedly dumped by the 6th National Assembly for passage.
Breaking down the money released between in 2012, she said that nothing was released in 2009, but in 2010, N94.5 million was spent for campaign, while N16.3 million was released in 2011 and 17.2 million released in 2012.
She told the committee that the theft of crude reduced in 2012 from 150k to 100k per barrel because, according to her, the ministry had collaborated with security agencies after they realised that the crude was not only being stole internally, but also along with foreign theft.
She further disclosed that gas flaring has also reduced from 63 to 21 per cent, while issues relating to the local content, discouraging of crude oil theft, regional cooperation in energy supply, trans-Sahara gas pipeline and improvement in the supply of gas to power were listed among the ministry achievement for 2012.
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