…helipads, hospitals, others too
The Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East, Senator Ita Enang, has queried the authority of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi,to embark on the construction of a N98bn international convention centre in Abuja without the approval of the National Assembly.
The lawmaker raised the issue yesterday during his contributions to the ongoing debate on the general principles of the 2014 budget proposal.
He noted that the contract for the centre was approved by the contracts tender board of the CBN without the approval of the Bureau of Public Procurement.
The centre, according to Inang, will comprise an auditorium, exhibition/multi functional halls, restaurants, shops, a five-star and a three-star hotel.
The lawmaker also raised the alarm over the reported purchase of the NITEL building at the Central Business Area of Abuja, where the international convention centre would be cited.
“How much did the CBN use in buying the NITEL building at the central area? How much and who was paid to control- bomb the building, which land is now for the CBN’s five-star hotel and convention centre? Could this money not be used to fund the national budget?”, Inang said.
The lawmaker also raised the issue of some other unauthorised spending by the CBN, including the funding of other hotels in Jos and Ilorin to the tune of N10bn each and the N50bn proposed for one hospital in Lagos.
Inang also sought to know the funding of the construction of helipads at some of the business locations of the apex bank.
According to the lawmaker, “These are done with excess money, which would have been used to fund the federal budget if the Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly have done what the law the National Assembly passed mandated her to do.
“Who owns who? Is it the CBN that owns Nigeria or Nigeria that owns the CBN? Is the CBN a government within a government or a government unto itself?”
In their contributions to the debate on the general principles of the 2014 budget, senators queried the low amount voted for capital budget as against the recurrent budget, insisting that government must reverse the trend if the nation must experience growth, infrastructural development and job creation.
Senator Smart Adeyemi argued that efforts must be made to seek avenues to generate more revenue for the country and not concentrate unduly on the sharing of only revenue from oil.
He also advised that the international oil companies must be encouraged to invest in the gas sector of the economy to boost power generation and increase employment.
The lawmaker called for the speedy completion of the Abuja-Lokoja Express- way, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge in Anambra State. He also appealed for improved allocations to the North-East to ensure the region’s rehabilitation following the debilitating effect of terrorism.
Senator Olushola Adeyeye (Osun Central) called for the cancellation of waivers by the Federal Government, particularly to the companies that “we do not know what they are contributing to this country.”
Senator Hope Uzodinma however described the budget as refreshing and reassuring, noting that the executive had through the budget taken “the bull by the horns”.
The lawmaker described the 2014 budget as being more prudent than that of last year.
Senator Bukola Saraki said that if the nation must make progress with the budget, the National Assembly must first re-examine the performance of last year’s budget.
“Until we do that, we will continue to say that the executive is not performing whereas the fault is here in the National Assembly. Otherwise, this year’s budget will not also perform.”
Senator Ayogu Eze described the budget as “a focused budget, a consolidated budget based on the transformation programme of government,” stressing that, “power (supply) has improved and many roads constructed.”
According to him, the budget is directed at providing jobs and employment to the people.
He noted that the failure of past budgets was the result of unnecessary emphasis on the sharing of revenue without corresponding efforts at generating more revenue into the nation’s coffers.
Source: National Mirror
