Fred Itua, Abuja
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Office in the Presidency has refuted media reports that it inserted about N33 billion into the 2020 budget.
In a media release made available to newsmen, the SDG office said beside the approved sum, it was unaware of any other allocation approved.
It said the office doesn’t have powers to insert huge sums into the budget as being alleged by some media reports. It urged the public to disregard it.
The statement read: “The attention of the Office of Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been drawn to the story making the rounds insinuating that the allocation to the SDG Office as presented by Mr President was jerked up by additional N33 billion in the Appropriation Bill finally passed by the National Assembly.
“The Office wishes to state that the said amount or any other allocation aside the duly appropriated figure is not known to the Office. The Office also wishes to state that aside the opportunity to defend its budget proposal before the relevant committees at the National Assembly as prerequisites for the passage of Budget, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs has no power whatsoever over the review of the budgetary proposal.