Earlier today House of Representatives’ Committee on IDPs and Refugees stepped down the 2020/2021 budget review and consideration of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development due to incomplete details presented by the ministry.
According to the Muhammad Umar Jega-led Committee, the 2020 budget performance documents presented to the Committee by the Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouk, were not only incomplete but short on required information to access the performance of the ministry’s budget performance for the period under review.
Besides the vague description of several expenditures on some items, the Committee was disappointed that details of food palliative from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Nigerian Customs Service could not be found in the presentation.
The Committee advised that the documents be taken back and preferred to include all necessary information required to access the ministry’s performance for the year, “Because Nigerians will want to know how their resources are being spent,” Jega said.
The Minister, Farouk in her response said no physical cash was disbursed by the ministry as palliative but food palliative was distributed to every state and the FCT, except Rivers that was yet to get hers.
She said cash palliative transfer was done through existing platforms available to the ministry.
The rescheduled budget defense/presentation session is slated for next Tuesday.