The House of Representatives adopted and referred President Muhammadu Buhari’s request seeking the approval for N180 billion virement in the 2016 appropriated act to its committee on appropriation for further legislative input.
The House mandated the committee on appropriation committee to work on the details of the virement and present a report for final consideration in the committee of supply.
This followed a motion moved by leader of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the lawmakers unanimously approved the request and committed it to the committee without debate.
Recall that their senior colleagues in the red chamber had last week turned down the request without any debate.
While leading debate on the motion, Gbajabiamila noted that the president’s request via a letter dated October 25, 2016, was in respect of virement of funds appropriated for special intervention (recurrent) and special intervention (capital) to fund some critical recurrent and capital items, and the request was necessitated by a number of reasons, including shortfalls in provisions of personnel cost, the inadequate provision for the amnesty programme, the need to sustain the war against insurgency and the depreciation of the naira.
Gbajabiamila said he was aware that in the course of implementing the appropriation act, 2016, several ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) presented issues pertaining to salary shortfalls as it affects the MDAs that are not under the platform of integrated personnel, and payroll information system (IPPIS), and some MDAs that are under the IPPIS platform would be locked out as their personnel cost budget would not cover salaries for the rest of the year.
“Also aware that the Nigerian Air force needs to cover the foreign exchange differentials in the procurement of its critical equipment and augment the contingency vote, and also to provide for inadequacy in the provision for the National Youth Service Corps in the 2016 budget among others”, he stated.
When deputy speaker, Hon. Sulaimon Yussuff Lasun put to vote the motion, which was seconded by Hon. Nasiru Ali Ahmed (APC, Kano); and was unanimously endorsed.
Buhari had in the letter dated October 25 nd addressed to Speaker Yakubu Dogara said N166.6 billion of the money was required for recurrent expenditure and that N14.2billion would be used for capital expenditure.
The President also said, the money would be transferred from special intervention (recurrent) and capital in FGN intervention programme (capital supplementation).
“This request has arisen due to a number of reasons including; shortfalls in provisions for personnel costs; inadequate provision for amnesty programme, continuing requirements to sustain the war against insurgency and depreciation of naira,” he said.
Details of the virement request show that Public Service Wage Adjustment (PSWA) N71.8billion; Contingency N1.2billion; margin for increase in cost (MIC)N2billion; cadet feeding (Police Academy, Kano) N932million and Amnesty Programme N35billion.
Others are internal operations of the Armed forces N5.2billion, Operation Lafiya Dole N13.9 billion, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) N19.7billion, Foreign Missions N14.6billion and augmentation of meal subsidy/ direct teaching and laboratory cost N900million.
For statutory transfer, a virement of N1.2bilion was proposed for the Public Complaints Commission for salary shortfall, while in the area of capital, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) N12.7billion and Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) N1.5billion.
The President also said the Federal ministry of Power, Works and Housing has also requested for the virement of N300million appropriated under the 2016 Appropriation of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) for the construction of 132KVA substation in Gwaram, Jigawa state.
The House was however silent on the 29.9USD billion request for foreign loan being sought by the executive as no date has been fixed for debate on it.
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