Reps targets Dec 16 to pass 2022 budget, moves against borrowing

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Reps targets Dec 16 to pass 2022 budget, moves against borrowing

The House of Representatives is targeting a December 16 passage of the 2022 Appropriation Bill.

The lower legislative had earlier passed document for second reading after two days of extensive debate on its general principles.

Making the target public during a meeting of the House Committee on Appropriation, the chairman, Mukhtar Betara, said the panel would lay its report on December 14 for the chamber’s consideration the next day, followed by third reading and eventual passage on December 16.

He, therefore, pleaded with committee members to be diligent.

Betara cautioned members against domiciling their zonal intervention projects in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with no mandate to execute to them.

ALSO yesterday, the Green Chamber initiated moves to halt Federal Government’s borrowing spree by ensuring implementation of policies that generate more revenues.

The lawmakers are, particularly, disturbed that the 2022 budget captured N3.9 trillion for debt servicing.

They submitted that to reduce the nation’s huge debt profile, the lingering crisis between the government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Technical Committee on Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) and Adani Mega Systems Limited, needed to be urgently resolved.

This, according to the legislators, would enable the e-Customs project take off to reduce or completely eradicate borrowing, as the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) would be able to generate twice or more of what it currently makes.

Moving a motion on the urgent need to resolve the dispute, which, he said, was hindering the commencement of the scheme during plenary in Abuja, Leke Abejide noted that the CBN’s CISS had “agreement with Adani Mega Systems Limited to engage the latter as service provider/vendor for screening of service infrastructure for the inspection of all inbound and outbound cargoes in Nigeria.”

He continued: “CBN, in the said letter of engagement dated February 1, 2017, also stated its statutory mandate to manage and supervise the project (as provided for in Sections 13(1), 15(I) and 5 of Pre-Shipment Inspection of Export Act and Pre-Shipment Inspection of Imports Act.”