Adesina shuns budget defence as Reps threaten zero allocation

The legislators were particularly annoyed by what they described as the “habitual non-appearance” of the minister before the committee, implying his “lack of regard” for the committee over the years.Adesina was supposed to appear before the committee for the defence of the budgetary allocation of the department of rural development under his ministry, apart from […]

The legislators were particularly annoyed by what they described as the “habitual non-appearance” of the minister before the committee, implying his “lack of regard” for the committee over the years.
Adesina was supposed to appear before the committee for the defence of the budgetary allocation of the department of rural development under his ministry, apart from the agriculture committee, where he also appears annually to defend their budget.
But as the lawmakers settled for the defence, the ministry’s permanent secretary, S. T. Echono appeared alongside two other directors, and offered apology on behalf of the minister who was away for a presidential assignment.
This apparently did not go down well with members of the committee, as Rep Nnanna Ibokwe (PDP, Imo) rejected the apology, saying that there was never a time the minister honoured the committee’s invitation.
“The Permanent Secretary is trying to defend the minister. If you say he is attending a presidential event, tell us which event. We can make calls to confirm. If the minister is not around, what stops the state minister from coming since she oversees the rural development,” he said.
Rep Ibrahim Ebbo (APC, Niger) concurred with his colleague, saying that since it had been the norm that the minister always shied away, the committee ought not to pass this year’s allocation until he appears.