By Emmanuel Elebeke

Abuja—One of the agencies in the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, the Nigerian Communication Satellite limited, NIGCOMSAT, is to spend N10.98 million for cleaning and fumigation in 2018 fiscal year.

Although, N26, 8758,697 million was originally proposed for both the ministry and the agency in the appropriation bill, N10 million was approved for cleaning and fumigation of NIGCOMSAT in the fiscal year.

The ministry and the agency on the other hand are expected to spend N173.2 million on travels, miscellaneous, cleaning and fumigation among other unidentified expenses in the 2018 fiscal year.

A look at the 2018 Appropriation Act recently signed by President Muhammadu Buhari into law, shows that the stated sum will be spent by the ministry and NIGCOMSAT for general travels and transportation, miscellaneous expenses, utility services and others in the fiscal year.

The amount is N124.3 million less than N172.6 million approved for the ministry and NigComSat for travelling  in the 2017 budget.

A breakdown of the estimate shows that the ministry is expected to spend N47.5 million out of the total sum, while NigComSat will spend N816, 551.

The budget also indicates that the ministry will spend N41.5 million for miscellaneous, whereas NigComSat will spend N1 million only.

Also, out of the total amount, the ministry will spend N7.5 million for utility services, while NigComSat will spend N25.4 million also on miscellaneous in the year.

On other utilities, the ministry  is expected to spend N28.5million while NigComSat will be spending N19.7 million for the same purpose.

Meanwhile, N19.8billion was approved for the whole ministry for the fiscal year.

Out of the amount, N8 billion was approved for capital project and N11.5 billion was approved for recurrent expenditure for the fiscal year.

This is N1 billion higher than the N18.8 billion allocated to the ministry in the previous year.