By Favour Nnabugwu

Abuja—Four committees of the House of Representatives have expressed dissatisfaction over the implementation of the Federal Ministry of Transportation’s 2016 Budget, threatening zero allocation in 2017 budget.

The committees, which visited the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja Tuesday on oversight functions  are Committees on Aviation; Land Transport; Maritime Safety and Administration; Ports, Harbours and Waterways.

members of House of the Reps

Chairman, Committee on Maritime Safety and Administration, Mohammed Bago, said the ministry presented different documents to the committees which did not contain facts.

He said the ministry had received N243 billion and yet to spend it, noting  that if the money was not used before the end of the month, it would receive zero allocation in 2017.

According to him: “The different positions made to the committee of the house on both land transport, ports and harbour, maritime safety and administration as well as aviation has varied. We have received three different documents till date and all of them are not consistent and that is why we have asked for a new document to ascertain the value of what this project is all about.”

“We are not going to appropriate on this budget until we have the fact and figure and if we do not have the facts and figure, the ministry of transport will get zero allocation. They have received 243 billion and they have not spent it when Ministry of Health needs money because people are dying of meningitis, Nigerian soldiers are dying in Sambisa, no money to fund the soldiers. The ministry of transportation is seating on billions of Nigerians’ naira released to it and is not utilised.”

Patrick Asadu, Chairman of the Committee on Ports, Harbours and Waterways, said  members were at the ministry to ensure that money given to the ministry was well spent.