House of Representatives Committee on Finance has expressed dissatisfaction on the seeming communication gap between the budget office and the various ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, in respect to budget estimates for these agencies.
Chairman of the committee, Rep AbdulmuminiJibrin stated this yesterday at the continuation of meetings between the committee and some independent revenue generating agencies of government.
Jibrin explained that the implication of lack of harmony between the budget office and the MDAs could lead to further delay in the passage of the budget.
His reaction followed the revelation from the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, that their organisations did not interface with the budget office.
Both agencies had claimed that the budget office usually submit their revenue projections for the year to the committee without their inputs.
The lawmaker stressed that the 2014 budget has a lacuna, adding that going by what they have heard, the budget has accumulate debts.
Also querying why there was a gap between the budget provisions and remittances of some of the MDAs, the chairman wondered why they expend money that they were supposed to remit.
The chairman, therefore, directed FAAN and NIMASA to go and review their submissions and reflect their actual remittances, insisting that both agencies are in the habit of spending without recourse to appropriation.