News Editor
By David Odama
The National Assembly joint Committee on Livestock Development has described budgetary allocation of N11.8 billion as inadequate for the take- off of the newly created Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.
It would be recalled that the federal government had proposed N10 billion for capital expenditure and N1.8 billion for overhead in the 2025 budget of the ministry.
The minister, Idi Maiha led management staff of the ministry and heads of agencies to the 2025 budget before the joint committees of the National Assembly on Tuesday.
He said the ministry took off 3 months ago and the take off process is ongoing with necessary structures being put together from formative departments from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, from which the new ministry was carved out.
The minister said the ministry is yet to have office accomodations, lacked facilities, necessary office and operational equipment to run as a full fledged ministry.
According to him, the ministry is currently being accommodated by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Though, Maiha said the minister has initiated talk with the minister of the Federal Capital Territory to secure an adequate office accommodation.
The minister said though the budget might be small it will provide a roadmap to get the ministry taje- off effectively.
Oblivious of the core mandate of the ministry to meet negative climate change environmental challenges, open up avenue for youth and women to engage in economic activities in the livestock sector, he said process are ongoing to statutorily transferred livestock related MDAs under the Ministry of Agriculture to the Livestock ministry.
He said within the budgetary envelope, capital projects be shared across geopolitical zones according to specific needs and that the projects will be market driven to attract local and foreign investments .
He said the ministry will engage in massive well coordinated sensitization campaign across national and local media to project the ministry.
The joint committee asked the minister to harmonize adequate financial needs and re- present in form of supplementary budget, while promising prompt approval.
Hon. Wale Raji, House Chair on Livestock Development queried the amount of input from the Presidential Implementation Committee for the take – off of the ministry.
“There will be need for you to make special presentation on this or necessary come up with supplementary budget that will reflect the hope of Nigerians .
“The budget is abysmally low to respond to the yearnings of Nigerian,” he said.
The Senate Chairman Sen. Musa Mustapha said the committees “will try our best to see how we can help the ministry achieve its mandate.”
He said the meeting was a sort of foundation laying but the ministry must buckle up as it is expect of the ministry to give progress report on the challenges raised for the joint committee to make necessary intervention.
