Niger Delta Minister in Trouble for spending 166m on travels in 5months

MEMBERS of the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta yesterday frowned at the Minister of Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe’s spending of N166 million within five months on travels instead of the N148 million budgetted for the purpose.
The committee also rejected a document containing budgetary performance of the ministry in the last two quarters as submitted by Orubebe.
It said the minister should instead return and prepare a more comprehensive detail of how close to N61.4 billion budgetted for the ministry had almost been expended between January and May, 2012.
The committee also lamented extra-budgetary spending of the ministry, especially on official travels in the office of the minister.
Looking further into the expenditure of the ministry, members of the Committee also faulted another item under “Construction of Office” where the minister approved the spending of N65 million, instead of N45 million within same period.
Having failed to offer satisfactory details on how the sum was incurred on travels alone, Orebube was asked to furnish the committee with list of those who travelled and their destinations.
Chairman of the Committee, Warman Ogoriba, cautioned the minister to desist from withholding too much capital funds already released to him, accusing him of currently keeping N25.2 billion out of the N39 billion meant to pay contractors.
He gave the minister 72 hours ultimatum to pay billions of naira being owed contractors handling projects of the ministry.
On the East/West Road project, the committee lamented how the ministry had so far expended over N560 million out of N850 million provided in the 2012 Budget, with little or nothing on ground.
Members of the committee, who hail from South/South and South/ East, lamented low pace of the road project which Orubebe had initially described as a flagship project of the ministry.
They also cautioned the minister to control his spending spree and operate within the budget passed by the National Assembly.
Orubebe, who was accompanied by the Minister of State, Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi, in his presentation, said the ministry lacks adequate funding to operate.
He added that lack of fund to embark on local trips to meet with stakeholders in the Niger/Delta Region and speak to them on the need for peaceful coexistence is a challenge the ministry is facing.
He urged the National Assembly to increase his ministry’s budget above its current status where N59.2 and N1.4 billion out of its total N61.4 billion budget go to capital and overhead costs respectively