The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation has summoned the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and disaster management, Sadiya Umar Farouq to appear before its Committee for the ongoing budget defence or the House would be forced to take a decisive action against the Ministry.
The Chairman of the Committee, Aliyu Betara who handed down the summon noted that the Minister has consistently refused to appear at the House of Representatives to defend the 2022 Budget of the Ministry.
The Committee was said to have repeatedly invited the Minister for the budget defence exercise, but failed to honour the invitation.
He said “Sadiya Farouq, rather than appear before the Committee, kept delegating the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Nura Alkali, to do this function.
“Alkali had made herself 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 PS.”
Approached by Journalists on the action, Chairman House Committee on Appropriation, Muktar Betar, said he would never approve the PS to defend the budget.
Betara insisted that Sadiya Farouq must be at the committee in person to defend her ministry’s budget.
The Minister had overseen huge spendings of national funds on palliative in the 2020 and 2021 budgets, and the Committee would want her to account for them.
PIAK
