Foreign Affairs Minister Urges Swift Action on Budget Bill in National Assembly
Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has called on the National Assembly to expedite the consideration of a bill aiming to place the ministry’s budget on the first line charge. The appeal was made during Tuggar’s appearance before a joint committee of the National Assembly on Foreign Affairs to defend the ministry’s 2024 budget.
Highlighting the challenges faced by the ministry, Tuggar emphasized the gross inadequacy of the overhead allocation. He noted that insufficient budgetary provisions had led to delays in settling statutory bills for the headquarters and missions, resulting in perpetual debts and the need for annual special intervention funds.
To address this issue, Tuggar urged the swift consideration of the bill that seeks to place the ministry’s budget on the first line charge. He explained that the bill, a product of presidential approval in March 2020, was delayed in the 9th Assembly and now requires urgent attention.
In addition to the budget concerns, Tuggar raised the need for an upward review of the proposed capital allocation to the headquarters and foreign missions. He stressed that the envelope ceiling provided by the budget office was insufficient for meaningful capital projects.
Furthermore, Tuggar called for a 200 percent increase across the board in the 2024 proposed Overhead Cost Allocations for the headquarters and Nigeria’s 110 missions abroad. He justified the request by considering the continuous fall of the naira exchange rate against the dollar and the upward inflationary trends in the global economy.
Senator Sani Bello, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, assured the ministry of the National Assembly’s support. Bello emphasized the importance of getting the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs right, as they represent the image of the country.
Source: NAN
