As more revelations keep unfolding about the 2016 budget, the minister of Information and Culture has disowned a budgetary allocation of N398 million for purchase of computers.
Lai Mohammed
Speaking at a budget defence session before the Senate Committe on Information, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, yesterday openly disowned the N398 million being part of the budget estimates by his ministry meant for the purchase of computers.
While 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, he noted that the total sum of N398 million proposed in the budget for the purchase of computers was strange to him, adding that he was not aware.
"No, that is not possible. That was definitely not what was proposed, this cannot be," the minister protested even as an official of the ministry noted that only N5 million was proposed for the item in the original budget of the NFVCB.
The chairman of the Committee, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said, "The difference between N5million and N168m is huge."
Ima Niboro the Managing Director of NAN, also expressed shock 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.
It was also reported that 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 Representatives on Tuesday, said the 2016 budget could not be passed on February 25th as earlier promised because it was full of errors.
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