Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Nigeria’s newly sworn-in federal ministers are set to begin work on the 2020 the budget proposal and get it ready before the National Assembly returns from their recess.
The ministers are also expected to sign the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) form and return to the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation within two weeks.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha announced this before the ministers were assigned their portfolios on Wednesday.
In June, the Federal Government had commenced the process for the preparation of the 2020 budget, with a directive to Ministries, Departments and Agencies to avoid inflating their personnel budget.
The immediate past Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udoma, had in the 2020 Personnel Budget Call Circular he issued and personally signed, warned chief executives of all agencies of the government against the introduction of ghost workers in their personnel payrolls, adding that such violations would not be condoned.
The circular (ref: BD/2000/EXP/S.65) was dated May 24, 2019.
It was sent to the Chief of Staff to the President, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President, all Ministers, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, all Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police.
Others who received the circular were the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, all Chairmen of Commissions, all Permanent Secretaries/Heads of Extra-Ministerial Departments and the Auditor-General of the Federation.
Mustapha told the Ministers:
“You are expected to familiarise yourselves with the permanent secretaries of various ministries and, within this period, set out to work particularly on the budget, and taking cognizance of the fact that we have assured the National Assembly that we are sending the budget immediately they return from the recess.”
On the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Mustapha said:
“We will send out the ministerial mandate for you to review within two weeks with the permanent secretaries assigned to your ministries and attach your signatures and return for the purposes of safe keeping, and also monitoring and co-ordination.”