The Senate Committee on Federal Character on Tuesday walked out officials who represented the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Federal Road Safety Commission, from its scheduled budget defence session.
Members of the committee in a unanimous decision asked the representatives to tell their bosses to appear before them to defend their 2016 budget proposals.
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Yahaya Kaura, alongside members of the panel, expressed displeasure over the absence of the SGF, Babachir David Lawal, and the FRSC boss, Boboye Oyeyemi.
Kaura described their failure to appear before the committee as unacceptable, adding that the budget defence exercise was too important to be treated with levity.
He therefore threatened that his committee would not consider the budget proposals before it unless the SGF and FRSC boss appear personally.
Kaura said, “I cannot understand why the SGF and the head of the FRSC failed to show up to defend their budget. That is not acceptable because the budget defence is something that should be taken seriously.
“Until they are prepared to appear themselves to defend their budget for this year, I’m sorry to say this committee would not entertain their representatives.ý”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Federal Character Commission, Dr. Shettima Abba, and the Acting National Coordinator of Servicom, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli, while appearing separately to defend their commission’s budgetý, lamented that the activities of their respective establishments were restricted due to low funding.
Abba said the officials of the FCC relied on the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government for funding in the course of carrying out monitoring exercises.
This, he noted, could compromise their assignments.
Kaura assured them that the committee would look into the complaints lodged by the FCC and Servicom, with a view to addressing the issue of underfunding which they raised. Punch
