2023 Budget: We need more money to function – Special Duties Minister

Tamarauemi Ebimini

THE Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, George Akume, has on Monday told the Senate that the Ministry needed more funds to carry out its responsibilities.

Akume who lamented over the current allocations and envelop system, said it has made it extremely difficult for the Ministry to perform effectively

Speaking in Abuja when he appeared before the Senator Yusuf Yusuf, Taraba Central led Senate Committee on Special Duties to defend the Ministry’s budget for 2023, the Minister told the Senators that the sum of N180 billion allocated to the Ministry for 2023 representing 71% reduction in the budget for the previous year is grossly inadequate to accomplish the sweeping mandate of the Ministry.

According to him, the envelope system has further incapacitated the ability of the Ministry to achieve its mandate to monitor special projects and interventions of the Federal Government as well as the implementation of constituency projects in care of members of the National Assembly.

He said the lack of funds has greatly affected the Ministry’s ability to drive the National Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy, a Presidential initiative of the current administration aimed at pulling 100 million citizens out of poverty, adding that the Presidential initiative has the capacity to generate millions of direct employment opportunities for farmers in the cottage industry and others in the value chain. He however lamented that the paucity of funds has hampered proper execution of the project under his watch.