The House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation has ordered compulsory appearance of the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar Farouk, over her continued refusal to defend her ministry’s budget in person.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Muktar Betara gave the directive following summon at the on going Budget Defence by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, threatening that the Committee would not hesitate to impose a severe sanction on the Ministry should the Minister fails
to honour the Parliament’s summon.
The Committee was said to have repeatedly invited the Minister for the budget defence exercise, but has allegedly ignored the invites without any genuine reason.
Betara who frowned at the development said: “Hajia Sadiya Farouq, rather than appear before the Committee, kept delegating the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Nura Alkali, to do this function.”
“Alkali had made himself available, but the committee was uncomfortable with the Minister’s behaviours, making it to reject the Permanent Secretary’s appearance.
“The committee is insisting that the Minister, who superintends the spendings in the ministry should come forward to account and not the Permanent Secretary,” chairman Betr said.
The lawmaker also stated that the committee would never approve the Permanent Secretary to defend the budget under whatever guise, insisting that Sadiya Farouq must appear before the committee in person to defend her ministry’s budget.
The Minister had overseen huge spendings of national funds on palliatives in the 2020 and 2021 budgets, and the Committee would want her to account for them.
