By Paul Effiong
National Assembly Joint Committee on Interior has queried the Federal Fire Service, FFS, over the various discrepancies in its budget proposal, even as the agency’s budget was stepped down.
Yesterday, the Controller-General, Federal Fire Servive, Jaji Idris had appeared before a joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives for the agency’s budget defence.
During the presentation, the panel observed various infractions which include that 10 trucks were procured at N1.5 billion in one instance and another time, N2.5 billion was used to procure the same items.
Reacting, the FFS boss explained that the differences were due to variations in tanker sizes, but the lawmakers criticised the omission of such critical details from the budget documents.
The committee led by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, and his House of Representatives counterpart, Abdullahi Ahmed raised serious reservation over the matter.
Oshiomhole stressed, “We need to appreciate the difference between contract commitments and proposals. Without proper documentation, this committee cannot approve your budget.”
He emphasized the importance of fiscal responsibility and accountability, stating, “When you come before this committee, be ready. We will be critical, not to cause you trouble, but to ensure that Nigerians get value for money.
“Government should be less wasteful. Every N10 lost by MDAs, when multiplied across all agencies, becomes an alarming figure. As our president keeps reminding us, he is trying to draw a bucket of water from a dry well. It is our duty to ensure that the little drawn is properly distributed so that every Nigerian gets a sip, especially the poor,” he said.
