Advertisement
From Jonas Ike, Abuja
The House of Representatives Committee on Industry on Wednesday rattled the Director- General (DG), Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Mr Osita Aboloma over what it described incoherent budget and low remittances of revenue to the federation account expected of all revenue generating agencies of government.
Chairman and members of the House of Representatives Committee on Industry Mr. Abubakar Husaini Moriki at a budget defence session with the DG and heads of departments of the agency had noted that they had failed to remit revenues to the federal government coffers in the past two years as required by law.
The lawmakers further observed that the N N5.918 billion budget presented to them for consideration do not have details of staff remuneration, promotion, dismissal and retirement in all the states of the federation and FCT.
The Committee therefore had requested that the agency make available to it all the details of staff, promotion, expected remuneration and other expenditure in templates for perusal.
The DG in his presentation at the budget session however told the committee that SON effectively utilized its 2018 budget for infrastructural expansion, training and sensitization of their workforce.
He told the lawmakers that most of the money they are asking for is for the completion of all ongoing projects in the agency notably construction of office complex in Akwa-Ibom, Abia and Cross Rivers State.
While presenting to the committee a budget estimate of N5.918 billion for consideration and approval, he said that ther are pending recruitment and training to be done by the agency that would be funded from the budget.
He also hinted that there are chemical process laboratories to be built in Asaba Delta State, Dutse in Jigawa and Calabar in Cross-River States.
The House Committee nonetheless insisted that that the budget estimate is not incoherent as there is a difference of N5,000000 between the 2018 and 2019 budget estimates of the agency as presented.
Advertisement