Joseph Inokotong, Abuja
The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) said that it would require a whopping N2 billion in the 2021 budget to partition and furnish its headquarters in Abuja.
Chairman of the Commission, Mr James Momoh, disclosed this when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Power while defending his 2021 budget proposal.
According to him, the partitioning and furnishing of the eight-floor headquarters building became necessary to make it befitting and conducive after acquisition.
Mr. Momoh said work on the building, which were ongoing made the Commission to propose funding for it in the 2020 and 2021 budgets.
He told the committee that the Commission was unable to spend all the money released to it for the project in the 2020 budget because of COVID–19 pandemic.
The committee, however demanded to know the total contract sum needed to complete the partitioning and furnishing of the office, which it was unable to provide.
It expressed concern that the Commission was seeking N2 billion to partition and furnish office in 2021 budget, even when he could not say what the contract sum was.
But Chairman of the Committee, Magaji Aliyu threatened to delete the request from the 2021 budget proposal.
He said “if you do not have the contract sum, we will delete it from the budget. “You have only one line item and you came unprepared.” Aliyu told the NERC chairman to go back and provide the total contract sum.