Senate approves N11bn Police Trust Fund’s budget

The Senate on Wednesday approved N11.35 billion as the Nigeria Police Trust Fund budget for the 2020 fiscal year.

The approval followed the analysis of the harmonised report of the Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs.

Ripples Nigeria gathered that the implementation of the NPTF 2020 budget would lapse on April 30.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Halliru Jika, presented the committee’s report at plenary.

Jika explained that the joint committee observed that it was the first budget of the NPTF since the establishment Act came into being in 2019.

He said: “Only 0.5 percent of the total revenue accrued to the federation account and 0.5 percent of the total Value Added Tax (VAT) were remitted to the NPTF Account.

“Other sources of revenue as prescribed in the NPTF Establishment Act have not made any remittance.”

He, therefore, called on the NPTF to expedite action on the implementation of the 2020 budget in order to meet the April 30 deadline.

READ ALSO: Police Trust Fund directs IGP to present five-year plan to transform police

In his breakdown of the report, Jika said the projected income was pegged at N34, 984,314,243 and N11, 354,457,101.70 for capital.

He stressed that the balance of N23, 631,857,141.30 would be carried over to the NPTF 2021 budget.

The committee chairman noted that the purchase of utility vehicles in the budget was replaced with the procurement of COVID-19 protection kits for Police personnel with N358,379,191.00 while N533,894,117.70 was earmarked for the procurement of drugs and medical equipment.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the approval of the NPTF budget would help the police to increase their capacities and provide improved services across the country.

“This is one of the benefits of what we have passed here – the Police Trust Fund. I’m sure the National Assembly will continue to support our security agencies for optimal performance,” he added.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now