The joint committees of the National Assembly on Agricultural Production and Services have threatened to impose zero budget allocations for agencies under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security whose Chief Executive Officers fail to appear in person to defend the 2025 budget.
Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Salihu Mustapha, and his House of Representatives counterpart, Bello Abubakar Kaoje, made the statement after the Director General of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, was absent during the agency’s budget defense session.
The committee chairmen expressed disappointment, noting that despite the President’s directive for all heads of agencies to appear before the National Assembly for budget defense, some chose to travel at this critical time.
Senator Mustapha who rejected the representative of the Director General of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service emphasized that there was no reason for the Chief Executive who is the accounting officer not to appear before them to defend his agency’s budget estimates.
“We are not going to attend to you. When the President came to present this budget he made it clear that all heads of agencies must come to defend their estimates and should therefore call off any plan to travel. We are going to give him another time, but that may not be too convenient for him because we have a time frame to submit our report”
The senator, who assured the commitment of the National Assembly to passing the budget, however, expressed concern about the soaring prices of agricultural produce across the country, noting that food is no longer affordable for the average Nigerian.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Services and Production, Alhaji Bello Abubakar Kaoje, stated that one of the major challenges currently facing Nigeria is food security, which prompted the President to declare a state of emergency in the sector last year.
Also Speaking, Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Services and Production, Alhaji Bello Abubakar Kaoje, said the major obstacles currently facing Nigeria was food security forcing the President to declare state of emergency in the sector last year.
He assured that the committee would collaborate closely with the appropriation committee to ensure the President’s Renewed Hope agenda is achieved, particularly in the area of food security.
COV/TSIBIRI
