The Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), says many of the expenditure line items for the 2016 Niger Delta Affairs Ministry’s budget, were for projects already appropriated for from the inception of the ministry.
According to the group, it arrived at this conclusion after conducting a critical review of appropriation for the ministry, just as it averred that Nigerians were unaware of the actual releases that these projects had drawn from the treasury.
“It is excruciating to observe that these projects are gulping billions in budgetary projections for several years, without commensurate information, concerning what the earlier appropriations were used for, on these recycled budget line-items for some years by this ministry.”
Some of the projects alleged to have been earlier appropriation for since 2009 are: electricity project in Khana, Rivers State; electricity project in Eleme, Rivers State; electricity project in Erei, Cross River State; Idoro-East Itam Water Project in Akwa Ibom State; Owerri Urban Water Project in Imo State; Ubane Utanga Water Scheme in Cross River State and Ukparam Water project in Ondo State. (The Guardian)
•Photo shows Niger Delta Affairs Minister Uguru Uguru.
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