Senator Danjuma Goje insists the N5,000 promised to one million Nigerians and the school feeding contained in the 2016 budget is not feasible.
Senator Danjuma Goje insists the N5,000 stipend promised to one million Nigerians by the federal government as contained in the 2016 budget may not be implemented anytime soon.
Goje who is the chairman, Senate committee on appropriation said the lack of a detailed, clear-cut structure laid down for implementation of the project was the reason why its implementation has suffered a setback, Daily Post reports.
Speaking at an interactive session organised by the joint National Assembly committee on appropriation with government officials in Abuja, on Thursday, March 3, Goje noted that there was no explanation as to who would choose the one million people entitled to the N5000 or what indices will be used in determining who should benefit from the stipend.
He said: “We have not gotten clear explanations to these numerous issues surrounding the implementation of this money. Even the afternoon school feeding contained in the budget is not feasible because some students study under non-conducive environment. Will feeding them enhance their learning?”
He however did not rule out future implementation of the programme but stressed that it may not be implemented in 2016.
“We are all happy with the programme and I am a party man to the core, but what needs to be done needs to be done very well. I think there is a need to do a greater work on implementation; otherwise this money will go down the drain.
“We support this programme. We want Mr President to succeed. We want our party to succeed. We want to continue to win this election but we want the programme to be successful.”
He said the National Assembly was working toward a workable implementation strategy adding that the lawmakers will use this year to do very sound groundwork for implementation so that the programmme can take off next year.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun has revealed how much Nigeria has in her Treasury Single Account (TSA).
The minister who made this disclosure yesterday while fielding questions from National Assembly joint committee on appropriations alongside Nigeria’s minister of budget and planning, Udo Udoma.
She said the account had accumulated to N2.9trillion, from its initial N2.2trillion in February.
Adeosun however, said the total of sum may not be used to fund the proposed N6.08trillion budget because some part of it will be go as operating cost for key revenue-generating agencies of the federal government.
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