NERC demands N2.1bn in 2021 budget for office furniture and partition

Members of the House of Representatives committee on power on Wednesday frowned at the 2021 budget of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) demanded for N2.1 billion to make its headquarters building more conducive.

NERC chairman, James Momoh, defending the commission’s 2021 budget proposal, said the funds would enable the commission to partition and furnish its headquarters in Abuja.

He added that works in the eight-floor building was still ongoing and that the money was needed to finish the project.

When the lawmakers asked Momoh to mention the total amount needed to complete the partitioning and furnishing of the office, he was unable to do so.

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Meanwhile, he had earlier told the Reps committee that NERC did not spend all the money released to it for the project in the 2020 budget due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

In his response, the committee chairman, Magaji Aliyu told Momoh that the N2.1 billion demand would be deleted from the commission’s 2021 budget proposal should he fail to provide the contract sum.

“If you do not have the contract sum, we will delete it from the budget. You have only one line item and you came unprepared,” Aliyu said.

The committee then asked the NERC chairman to go and ensure he returned with the total contract sum.

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