Lai Mohammed disowns ministry's N398m budgetary allocation

- The 2016 budget appears to have more errors than expected

- The minister of information, Lai Mohammed has disowned an allocation of N398m for purchase of computers in the ministry's budget

- Mohammed said the figure was strange to him

As more revelations keep unfolding about the 2016 budget, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the minister of Information and Culture has disowned a budgetary allocation of N398 million as being part of the budget estimates by his ministry for purchase of computers.

Speaking during a budget defence session in the Senate yesterday, February 10, Mohammed said the ministry’s budget was tampered with as it was not responsible for the proposal seeking the approval of the said sum, Leadership reports.

Reacting to questions on the N230 million and N168 million voted for the purchase of computers for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and the Film and Video Censors Board, the minister said it was strange to him.

Expressing shock over the proposal, the minister said: “No, that is not possible. That was definitely not what was proposed, this cannot be.”

An official of the ministry told the sitting that the only N5 million was earmarked for purchase of computers in the NFVCB.

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In response, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the chairman of the committee said: “the difference between N5 million and N168 million is huge.”

He asked the ministry get its documents together and come back with an amended budget.

Also speaking, Ima Niboro, the managing director of NAN said she was shocked at the N230million for the purchase of the same item as captured under “Capital Votes” in the 2016 budget of NAN.

It appears there are lots of discrepancies in the budget 2016. Last week for instance, Senate Committee on Education discovered N10 billion tucked into the education budget.

Also, the Health Minister, Professor Isaac Adewole on Monday, February 8 announced that the figures of the original budget of his ministry had been changed and therefore should be discarded.

The two arms of the National Assembly, the Senate and House of Assembly on Tuesday said, the 2016 budget could not be passed on February 25 as earlier promised because it was full of errors.

Source: Legit.ng