2021 budget: Reps berate Lai Mohammed for late submission of documents

THE House of Representatives Committee on Culture and Tourism, yesterday postponed the defence of the 2021 budget of the Ministry of Culture by a week.

The committee said it took the decision based on late submission of documents by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

The committee, led by Ogbeide Ihama, was unhappy that the ministry presented details of its budget proposal same morning Mohammed was to appear before the lawmakers.

A member of the committee, Joseph Edionwele, urged the committee not to proceed with the session as the documents were just being submitted.

“What are we reviewing? We can’t take the budget defence now,” he stated.

The lawmaker, therefore, moved a motion that the budget defence be stepped down “for another one week, to enable members go through the budget.”

The motion was unanimously adopted.

The committee later had a closed-door session with the minister.

Similarly, House of Representatives Committee on Pensions, on Wednesday, condemned the Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, Dr Chioma Ejikeme, over her non-appearance before it for budget defence.

The committee consequently declined to consider PTAD’s 2021 budget proposal, sending back its officials who showed up at the session, and ordering them to reappear with Ejikeme within 72 hours.

Chairman of the committee, Alhassan Rurum (APC, kano), issued the directive based on a motion unanimously adopted by members, after the Director of Parastatals Pensions Department who represented the Executive Secretary had announced his representation of the PTAD boss.

Rurum ruled that Ejikeme appears before the committee on Tuesday