AKANIMO SAMPSON

GROUP EXPOSES AGRIC,ENERGY MINISTRIES IN NIGERIA

THE Nigerian Government Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources as well as that of Petroleum, came under a heavy criticism by a pro-public accountability organisation, the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) on Tuesday.

Mr. George-Hill Anthony, the executive director of the group claimed in an on-line chat with AkanimoReports that the activities of the ministries under focus are not quite wholesome.

Analysing the graft tendencies of the ministries from the perspective of their fiscal allocation regime, NDEBUMOG said the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources has a total allocation of N148 billion.

But, the ministry is ranked by the group among the worst in the performance index of the federal ministries going by how basin authorities have compounded service delivery in social and basic infrastructure to the citizenry.

According to them, ''basin authorities shadowed how states and local government can better intervene on infrastructural delivery to the people, confusing stakeholders about Federal presence boosted only through their bloated recurrent envelopes. Matters such as water availability should better be left to the states and local governments''.

Surprisingly, the ministry is yet to explain to Nigerians what has happened to the billions given by the Federal Government to farmers in 2009. It has budgeted N37 million for local and international travels, N200 million as contribution to food and agricultural organisations, and N10 million for procurement of hooks.

On paper, the sum of N250 million will go for monitoring and evaluation of its own projects and programmes, N477 Million for Chinese (+ Nigeria) South- South Cooperation, N400 million for EC Assisted Water Supply and Sanitation, N400 million for ADB Assisted Water Quality Laboratory, N500 million for EU Assisted Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reforms, N200 million for National Water Sanitation Policy.

''The N200 million budgeted for National Water Sanitation Policy is a fraud. Unfortunately, nearly all the federal ministries have huge envelops for local and international travels even when the Presidency has restricted non-technical travels for civil servants of some cadre which was re-emphasised in the 2010-2012 Fiscal Strategy Paper of the Federal Government. The N10 million for this ministry and many other ministries (like Petr'', NDEBUMOG said.

Continuing, they said, ''at a time some African countries are wrestling to weed the influence of Chinese away against destruction of their economies going by poor quality of Chinese goods associated with poor human rights history of the Asian country, is the time the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources to budget close to N500 million under China-Nigeria (South-South) Cooperation?''

Adding, NDEBUMOG said, ''atrocities which may come with such can be more destructive than what Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Total/Elf and others has caused extractive communities in the Niger Delta''.

On the Petroleum Ministry, they claimed that the establishment is budgeting N150 million for the renovation of NNPC Towers. N810 million is allocated for facilities for technical and administrative cooperation on international bodies on oil &gGas utilization, and N100 million for library development and procurement of books. ''These are all frivolous projections'', NDEBUMOG said.


Quering the ministry, the group asked, ''why should the Petroleum Industry Bill implementation (when it becomes law) cost N7.5 billion to implement? N26 million is for refreshment and meals, N800 million for patrol vehicles and a N100 million for Oil and Gas reference library?

Apparently irked, the group said no responsible legislature can pass this sort of budget in any country, pointing out that Nigerians have been taken for granted for so long.

''Votes must count in 2011. Only credible elections in 2011 can arrest all these anomalies. The National Assembly needs massive fumigation through credible elections in 2011.The masses may not wait beyond 2011 and the outcome may be the predictions of America (on the break-up of Nigeria) coming to pass'', they said. ENDS