SAN FRANCISCO, July 09, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives Wednesday passed into second reading the N322 billion 2014 appropriation bill of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the fiscal year ending on 31st December 2014.
It also passed into second reading the N271 billion 2014 proposed budget for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for the same fiscal year.
A breakdown of the NDDC budget, which was presented by the House leader, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola, shows that N15,080,730.00 (Fifteen Billion, Eight Million,Seven Hundred and Thirty Thousand Naira) only is for Personnel Costs, N10,186,820 000.00 (Ten Billion,One Hundred and Eighty-Six Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira) only is for Overhead Expenditure while N2,281,280 000.00 ((Two Billion, Two Hundred and Eighty-One Million, Two Hundred and and Eighty Thousand Naira) Only is for Capital Expenditure while N295,051,170 000.00 (Two Hundred and Ninety-Five Billion, Fifty-One Million, One Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira ) only is for Development Projects for the Service of the Commission for the fiscal year.
Supporting the bill, Hon. Abubakar Momoh (PDP, Edo) observed that going by what is contained in the bill, the people of Niger Delta would be happy, if the fund is well implemented.
He called on the House Committee on Niger Delta to monitor the implementation to the very end.
Also supporting it, Hon. Peterside Dakuku (APC, Rivers) urged that the tripartite issue of equity, fairness and justice be taken into consideration with all seriousness.
He cited an example of how 70 percent of the Rivers State’s budget is domiciled in a single Local Government that contributes barely five percent to the resources. The proposed sum for the fund is N322, 600, 000, 000 billion.
The FCTA budget was presented by the chairman of the House committee on FCT, Hon. Emmanuel Jime (APC, Benue) titled ‘ A Bill for an Act to Authorize the issue from the Federal Capital Territory Administration Statutory Revenue Fund of the FCTA Account the Total sum N271,125,103,635, (Two Hundred and Seventy-One Billion, One Hundred and Twenty-Five Million, One Hundred and Three Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirty-Five Naira) only’
A breakdown of the figures show that N49,200,944,858 (Forty-Nine Billion, Two Hundred Million,Nine Hundred and Fourty-Four Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Eight Naira) is for Personnel Costs, and N62,891,521,857 (Sixty-Two Billion,Eight Hundred and Ninety-One Million,Five Hundred and Twenty-One Thousand,Eight Hundred and Fifty-Seven Naira) for Overhead Costs while the balance of N159,032,635,920 (One Hundred and Fifty-Nine Billion,,Thirty-Two Million,,Six Hundred and Thirty Six Thousand,Nine Hundred and Twenty Naira) is for Capital Projects of the FCTA in the fiscal year.
While debating on the general principles of the bill, House Leader, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola, argued that the budgets if passed into law would address many socio-economic and environmental problems in the Niger Delta region, especially unemployment and youth restiveness.
The two bills were unanimously passed into second reading through a voice vote by the Speaker Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and were referred to the relevant House Committees for further legislative inputs.
SAINT MUGAGA, ABUJA.
