By Ezrel Tabiowo and Joshua Egbodo,
Abuja
The Senate and House of Representatives yesterday approved the sum of N574, 532,726,857 supplementary budget for 2015.
The approval came following consideration of Reports of the Committees on Appropriation in both chambers of the National Assembly.
A copy of the report showed that fuel subsidy was increased from N413, 363,134,505 to N522, 258,934,505, showing an increase of N108.895 billion.
President Muhammadu Buhari had through a letter to the National Assembly, requested the approval of the Parliament for N465, 636,926,857 supplementary budget for 2015.
According to the Appropriation Committees in both legislative houses, the increase of N108.895 billion would enable federal government to pay for fuel subsidy for the last quarter of 2015.
A breakdown of the budget showed that the sum of N10,618,837,435 is for outstanding payment of severance gratuity and allowances of out gone and incoming legislators and legislative aides; N3,196,089,405 for salaries of Nigerian Army recruited personnel; N5billion for Victims Support Funds while N1.5 billion is for All African Games qualification for Rio 2016.
Also, the sum of N29,958,865,512 is for Operation Zaman Lafiya; N17,468,992,640 for Nigerian Army while N8,141,434,760 is for Nigerian Air Force.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje, while presenting the report observed that the budget would be funded through borrowing.
He said: “The Committee observed that: the provision for subsidy payment only covers year 2014 arrears of N120.5 billion and the claims of January to September 2015 of N292.8 billion.
There is need to provide additional funding in the sum of N108, 895,800,000 only for fuel subsidy for the months of October, November and December 2015 to ensure that the 2016 Budget takes off on a clean slate; this issue came up in the course of clarification of the total subsidy need for the year ending 2015 by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
“The provision for Victim Support Fund in capital supplementary should have been made in the Service Wide Vote since it is a federal government contribution to a fund managed by a committee, which is not an MDA (ministry, department and agency) of government.”