From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has said it will not consider the 2023 proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because of alleged refusal of the ministry to comply
with extant laws..
The chairman, Buba Yakub, stated this, on Wednesday, when the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama appeared before the committee to defend the 2023 budget proposal of his ministry.
The lawmaker accused Onyeama of allegedly directing foreign missions not to constitute tender board for procurement purposes, as well as directing missions to retain and spend funds in their capital accounts, without recourse to the National Assembly.
Yakub noted that he has written severally to the minister, drawing his attention to the alleged infraction and imploring to ensure adherence to the law, without success.
Consequently, Yakub directed the minister to go and comply with the extant laws before coming for the budget defense.
He said “We will not take your budget presentation because the committee has discovered some infraction in the ministry. According to Section 80 (1-4) CFRN 1999(As Amended), the National Assembly possesses the powers to authorise the expenditure of all revenue receipts, including those that have gone into the Consolidated Revenue Fund and to oversight how these funds are spent.
“With the above in mind, it follows that all funds appropriated to MDAs like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others, must be accounted for before the Ministry is able to come to request for another such appropriation, hence this budget defense session.
“One is, therefore, surprised and, indeed, it beats every logic that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has deliberately refused to abide by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and by other statutes of the land, including the Standing Orders of the House.”