Lawmakers to meet over failure of CBN, AMCON others to defend 2022 Budget

Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance and Currency are to meet with the principal officers of the House to deliberate on why some agencies such as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Security Printing and Minting and the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) failed to appear before the lawmakers for the 2022 budget defence.

The Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase, gave the ruling at the plenary yesterday following a motion of personal explanation by Hon. Fatau Mohammed (APC, Katsina).

Mohammed had in his explanation told his colleagues that the CBN, Printing and Minting, and AMCON failed to appear for the 2022 budget defence.

He said Order 20, Rule 18, sub Section 1 and 2 of the House states that there shall be a committee known as Committee on Banking and Currency.

The lawmaker said the rule provided that the committee shall oversee the CBN, banks, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, AMCON, and evaluate their annual budget.

According to him, “It will interest the House to know that none of the above agencies have been over sighted in the past two years and they have failed to make their 2022 budget available to the committee. How long shall we allow this illegality to continue.”

Agreeing with Mohammed’s explanation, the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu), said the matter has to do with a breach of law.

He said that, “This is because prior to any expenditure by any agency of government, it must appear before the House for appropriation. This is a breach of law of which this House should make a finding and place it properly the culpability of these agencies. It would be proper for this to come in a way of a motion for an investigation.’’

While ruling, Wase said the leadership of the House would engage the committee to resolve the matter so that the committee can exercise its functions.

He said even as a presiding officer, he heard the matter for the first time, saying if something like this is happening, the leadership should know.

(THISDAY)