The National Assembly joint Committee on Agricultural Production and Services has threatened Zero allocation for agencies under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security following the failure of the Chief Executive Officers to appear before the committee to defend their 2025 budget estimates.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Saliu Mustapha and his House of Representatives counterpart, Bello Kaoje expressed disappointment that despite the directive of the President for all heads of agencies to appear before the National Assembly for the defence of their budget, some have chosen to travel out of the country at the critical time.
The lawmakers’s resolution followed the absence of the Director General of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service Vincent Isegbe and others during the budget defence session
Senator Mustapha told the representative of the Director General that there was no reason for the Chief Executive who is the accounting officer not to appear before them, and ordered that he appear to defend his budget estimates on Monday, January 20.
Senator Mustapha maintained that the projections by the World Food Programme that about 33.1 million Nigerians will be in acute hunger in 2025 is a clear indication that food security is not something that the nation should toy with expressing concern over the soaring prices of agricultural produce across the country with food no longer within the reach of average Nigerians
Both chairmen assured that the National Assembly is committed to passing the budget for the interest of Nigerians but insisted that heads of agencies must come forward to defend their allocation
Editor Paul Akhagbemhe
