N/Assembly queries ministry over N344m spending

The National Assembly yesterday queried the Foreign Affairs Ministry for spending N343million on the Global Communication Network (GCN), a device for linking of the country’s missions abroad. 

Members of the Senate and House of Representatives joint committees on Foreign Affairs on oversight visit to the ministry expressed dismay that the gadget which has been switched off since April 2015 gulped N343million in 2016.

Out of the N514million approved for the GCN in 2016, N344million was released. The project is tagged, linking remote site mission and headquarters on the MPLS (optic fibre), and satellite space segment. 

Our correspondent reports during the visit led by Senator Monsurat Sunmonu and Rep Nnena Elendu-Ukeje that the ministry officials said the gadget has been switched off since April 2015. 

In the 2017 budget, the ministry also proposed N400million for the GCN. The money was meant for the reactivation and upgrade of key software and hardware component of the gadget. 

Daily Trust, February 14, 2017

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