Reps to Address Unfunded Federal Government Agencies
Abuja, Aug. 29, 2024 (TheGAvel) – The House of Representatives has announced plans to tackle the issue of unfunded federal government agencies, despite their appropriation and creation by parliamentary acts.
Rep. Ibrahim Isiaka, Chairman of the Special Committee on the Restructuring of Federal Agencies, Commissions, and Parastatals, made the announcement in Abuja on Thursday.
According to NAN, several agencies and commissions, including the Nigeria Press Council (NPC) and other entities under the Ministry of Health, have not received salaries for months.
Isiaka emphasized that no agency will be merged without National Assembly consent. He asserted that agencies created by parliamentary acts cannot be merged without amending the original act. “The law stipulates that only the parliament can alter or amend such laws, even at the state level,” Isiaka stated.
However, Isiaka clarified that government-created departments not established through parliamentary acts can be altered by the Federal Government without National Assembly approval.
The lawmaker noted that recent government policies on mergers and acquisitions of agencies should not justify withholding salaries before the policy was announced. He urged affected agencies to present the establishing acts to review their funding structures. Some agencies were initially intended to be self-sufficient, and if they now require Federation Account funding, it must be authorized by their founding acts.
Isiaka indicated that the National Assembly will address this issue upon resumption from recess. The committee will review the acts establishing these agencies and their funding mechanisms. “If an agency is included in the national budget but not receiving funds, we will investigate why,” he said.
The chairman committed to making this issue a priority, potentially introducing a motion of urgent national importance if necessary. He assured that this effort would encompass all affected agencies, not just the NPC. (NAN)
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