The budget office has cut the proposed N56.9billion budget of the Ministry of Humanitarian affairs and disaster management to the sum of N3.08billion.
The Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq, had made this known during the budget defence before the Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, in the House of Representatives.
Sadiya noted that the ministry had made a proposed amount for capital expenditure, but was significantly slashed by the budget office.
“The ministry’s budget proposal for the year 2020 proposed by the ministry to the budget office was significantly higher, the ministry headquarters was allocated N3.082billion for capital expenditure as against N56.9 billion initially proposed for relevant programmes”, Sadiya said.
The Minister had once disclosed that her ministry would help the government with the assertion of moving 100million Nigerians out of poverty, however the assertion was challenged by, Aisha Dikku, an APC lawmaker said the budget of the ministry can’t go anywhere in moving 100million Nigerians out of poverty.
“I want to know since you are in charge of social development and government programmes like the N-power, trader moni, because it is social development we are talking about, you have a huge task, because N3.082billion for your capital cannot bring out 100 million people out of poverty, and so I believe you have a very big task, what I will suggest that a special case be made that certainly, you can not bring out 100million Nigerians out of poverty”, Aisha said.
Though the, budget of the headquarters is different from the social intervention allocation.
Sadiya Umar Farouq then appealed to the committee to help in reviewing the budget.
