The House of Representatives Committee on Aviation led by Rep. Nnolim Nnaji on Thursday refused to hold a budget session with the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, and heads of the sector’s agencies.
The infuriated lawmakers, said the won’t treat their budget, because they failed to present their 2021 proposals ahead of the scheduled date for defence.
Ministries and heads of agencies, are customarily required to lay their proposals, days before the scheduled dates for defences.
The chairman Nnaji in his opening remarks at the scheduled budget meeting with the Minister and the chief executives of the agencies, frowned at the failure of the Ministry to forward the documents as earlier request by the Committee.
“Honourable Minister, I don’t know how you expect us to continue this meeting since we just got your 2021 budget proposal this morning despite giving you over a week notice so that we can read through and digest it before today.
“I am not blaming you for this but I must say that am disappointed in those who ought to have handled this but failed to do their jobs. For us to do a proper job, we need time to read through”, he said.
According to the chairman, the 2021 budget, required” thorough examination and proper considerations because of the impact of the corona virus pandemic on the industry which according to him was precarious”.
He further observed that” the #EndSARS protest also hit the industry that was just trying to recover adding that the 2021 budget must be such that would help stabilise the industry with the provision of the required critical infrastructures”.
Rep. Nnaji however yielded the floor to his colleagues to make their views known, as they all took turns in rejecting the Minister’s presentation.
The Minister in his response, apologised to the chairman and members for the failure of his agencies, to present the documents before the meeting as he pleaded that they give him them another date to present the budget.
Both the committee and the ministry resolved to meet on Thursday the 12th of Nov. 2020 by 11am for the budget presentation.
