NDDC Budget: Ag MD, Nunieh Dares NASS, Orders Directorate To Comply

The Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Joi Nunieh has ordered the Directorate of Planning, Research and Statistics to treat budgetary implementation requests (Recurrent and Capital from the various Directorates, Departments, Units and State Offices of the agency for its year 2020 budget.

Recalls that the Senate had November 2019 barred the Interim Management of the Commission from defending the agency’s 2020 budget.

The Senate insisted that only substantive board of the interventionist agency would be allow to defend the 2020 budget of the commission submitted to the national assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari in November.

But the Intervention Agency chief executive officer in a memo dated 15^th January, 2020 sighted by BIGPEN Online, said that the Directorate of Planning, Research and Statistics has been directed to treat budgetary implementation requests for the sum of N80, 881,610,074 appropriated to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in the country’s 2020 Budget.

The memo read: “Please recall that the President and Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari (CCFR) has signed into law the Federation’s 2020 Budget (Appropriation Act)’. Also in the approved Budget, the sum of N80,881,610,074 only has been appropriated to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).”

“It is pertinent to state here that the Commission is an Intervention Agency whose activities are predominantly in the Niger Delta Region with a peculiar and harsh geographical terrain and is greatly influenced by the weather conditions.”

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“The Directorate of Planning, Research and Statistics is hereby directed to treat budgetary implementation requests (Recurrent and Capital from the various Directorates, Departments, Units and State Offices for the year 2020”, the letter read.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in November 2019 sent the 2019 and 2020 budget estimates of the agency to the National Assembly for the approval of the federal lawmakers.

The National Assembly is yet to pass the 2019 budget of the commission.