NASS to blame for poor budget implementation, Lai asserts

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, on Tuesday, blamed the lack of smooth implementation of the 2016 budget on its late passage by the National Assembly.

He said the late passage has greatly affected the implementation of programmes and projects of government.

Speaking on when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism for the 2017 Budget Defence, Mr. Mohammad, also attributed the problem of implementation to inadequate appropriation as well as delay in the release of funds.

He listed the cumbersome nature of procurement process as another reason.

According to him, there is also the challenge of partial release of appropriated amount , just as he called for the placement of culture and tourism on the residual list.

He said the current structure makes it difficult for the government to regulate the sector, adding that there was also the lack of political will to develop the sector, as well as absence of ‘convention bureau’ to attract big time events to Nigeria as a tourism destination.

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He said: “There are several challenges/constraints militating against the smooth implementation of the required programmes/projects. Some of these are inadequate appropriation; delay in the release of funds; cumbersome nature of procurement process; partial release of appropriated amount; late passage of Appropriation Act; placement of placement of culture and tourism on the residual list, which has made it difficult to regulate the sector; lack of political will to develop the sector and absence of convention bureau to attract big time events to Nigeria as a tourism destination.”

Meanwhile, the Senate has picked holes in the N620,000.00 which was the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the year 2016 by the culture and tourism sector of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, just as it described it as unacceptable.

Responding to Mohammed who appeared for the budget defence, Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, noted that the budget was not only about expenditure, but also about revenue profile.

He said the Senate frowns at the said amount of N620,000.00, saying it was too low.

Senator Urhoghide said: “Budget is not just about expenditure. No one is talking about revenue. We need revenue profile. Each time you come, only expenditure is mentioned. How can you say it’s N620,000.00 that was raised by your ministry from the culture sector?

“We must exhaust all the avenues to generate funds internally. We seriously frown at the low and poor IGR. We query it. You must look inward because this is not acceptable.”

Senator Urhoghide who queried the Minister for misdirecting the appropriated funds for land acquisition, said that in 2016, the Senate appropriated the sum of N60,000,000 to acquire lands in three states for the establishment of cultural industries in Lagos, Adamawa and Edo States.

He said the Minister, instead, used the released money to acquire lands in Lagos and Adamawa, leaving Edo State, just as he said that the initial budget was to accommodate six states, but reduced to three.

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