The House of Representatives yesterday threatened zero allocation for the Ministry of Science and Technology over its poor implementation of the 2013 budget.
The Committee on Science and Technology at the budget defence of the ministry said funds would only be appropriated to government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) based on their actual performance in their core mandates in 2013.
Chairman of the committee, Abiodun Akinlade, who stated this, expressed worry that most of the agencies excelled in recurrent expenditures only to perform dismally in capital projects “which are supposed to benefit the people.”
He said: “This committee would not entertain a situation where agencies would only be paying salaries without delivering on their core mandates. Any agency found not performing on its core mandates would have its resources reallocated for better performances.”
Committee members also raised issues on the low level of cooperation and collaboration among the numerous government agencies in the Science and Technology sector.
The committee particularly charged the management of the National Agency for Science Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to liaise with sister agencies for patronage of its Karshi Solar Project in the marketing of its solar panels.
The committee also queried the management of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) on the quality of solar lights provided as constituency projects for the members of the National Assembly.
On the dysfunctional solar-powered street lights and boreholes constructed by the agency, Akinlade said “the complaints about low quality projects delivered by your agency are not particular to the members of the committee but has become a source of major concerns for all the members of the National Assembly.”
