House of Representatives yesterday asked the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to put on hold the release of N15 billion counterpart funding requested by the Federal Government, pending the approval of the commission’s budget by the National Assembly.
Adopting a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Unyime Idem, the House also resolved to mandate its Committee on NDDC to scrutinise such request made by the Federal Government and report back to the House for further legislative action.
The House expressed concern that the commission had been operating for the past three years without an approved budget, as provided for in the laws of the country.
Leading a debate on the motion, Idem accused the commission of spending public funds since 2021 without budgetary approval by the National Assembly, adding that the 2021, 2022 and 2023 budgets of the commission were yet to be approved by the parliament.
He said there was the need to find out where the commission had been getting money for its operations since 2021, since its budget had not been approved by the National Assembly, saying spending of public funds without approval was an illegality that should not be allowed.
He said the Ministry of Niger Delta was inaugurated by the Presidency to attend to intervention and humanitarian needs of the Niger Delta and promote physical development of the region.
Idem said since its inauguration, the Ministry of Niger Delta had executed fundamental and important humanitarian intervention projects across the region.
He said part of the fund available for use by the commission was money recovered on its behalf by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and given to the commission, to ease the implementation and its financial obligations.
He said the Federal Government sent a special request mandating the Ministry of Niger Delta to jointly finance an intervention and humanitarian programme of sums running into several billions of Naira, using the money recovered by the EFCC without budgetary provision.
Idem said such request for intervention and humanitarian proposals by the Federal Government without requisite financial appropriation and approval by the House was illegal and a breach of the Appropriation Act.
Deputy Minority Leader Toby Okechukwu said although the N15 billion being sought was for flood control, it should be put on hold while the House should investigate where the commission had been getting the money it had been spending, since its budget for three years had not been approved.
