By Bose Olamide
The Joint Senate Committe on Finance and National Planning on Wednesday said it will not hesitate to sanction heads of some revenue generating agencies if they fail to appear before it on Thursday, to defend their positions as contained in the 2021-2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework And Fiscal Strategy Paper, MTEF/FSP.
Chief Kayode Odunaro, Media Adviser to Senator Solomon Adeola in a statement on Wednesday said the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West) made the threat while presiding at the beginning of a Five-Day Public Hearing on the 2021-2023 MTEF/FSP.
The statement noted that some heads of the agencies did not appear at all, while some sent in officers that cannot speak to revenue figures of their agencies with any authority.
Adeola reiterated that the agencies were duly invited to appear before the Senate.
“The 2021-2023 MTEF/FSP was sent to the Senate on July 20 for consideration by President Mohammadu Buhari preparatory to the presentation of the 2021 Appropriation Bill. And in line with the desire to achieve early passage of the budget to be in tandem with the January-December budget cycle, the Senate referred the MTEF/FSP to the joint Committee for consideration even while members are on recess.
“Any head of agencies that refuse to appear before the Committee to defend figures it submitted as presented by the President to the Senate risks a zero allocation in the incoming budget among other penalties” Adeola said.
Among the agencies specifically mentioned by the Senate Joint Committee chairman whose heads are to appear on Thursday are Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigeria Communication Commission, Nigeria Shippers Council, NIMASA, FIRS, USFP and NNLG.
The Joint Committee public hearing was attended by the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzo Kalu and over 20 members from the two Senate Committee.
