The House of Representatives Committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Chaired by Hon Sani Zorro on Tuesday queried the N60 million proposed in the 2017 budget for cutting of grass along Damboa-Maiduguri road, Borno State by the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative (PCNI).
The House Committee which made its displeasure known in Abuja yesterday at a budget defense session with the management of the PCNI declared that the N60 million budgeted for cutting of grass by the committee and N200 million for delivery equipment with another N150 million for early warning systems are outrageous and unacceptable going by the economic recession in the country.
The committee stated that what should be of concern now were food and shelter for the IDPs.
It also queried the N100 million budgeted by the committee for media and publicity urging it to ensure that there was no duplication.
According to the N45 billion 2017 budget proposal presented by the vice chairman of the PCNI, Alhaji Tijani Tumsa, under the President Muhammadu Buhari plan programme, N60 million is voted for clearing of trees and shrubs on Maiduguri-Damboa road, Maiduguri-Bama-Gwoza-Mubi road, Uba-Lassa road.
Also, the early warning systems and conflict sensitivity advocacy will gulp N150 million, provision of security coverage and screening for programmes and humanitarian activities is to cost N184 million while security equipment delivery to IDPs camp N200 million.
N80 million is to be spent on disarmament demobilization and re-integration, N5.9 billion for thermal imaging equipment for military patrols and community security while N165 million is for conflict management and community relations training and the north east joint task force contact centre is allocated N495 million.
Under education and social development, victims rehabilitation and support network will cost 165 million, prefabricated model classrooms and student transfer is to gulp N855 million while teachers capacity building programme and community sensitization for education programme is to cost N400 million and N181 million respectively. The NGO capacity building will cost N245 million just as verification of ongoing programmes and field visits by committee members are to cost N9.7 million and N12 million respectively.
While esponding to the concerns expressed by the lawmakers, the vice chairman explained that no item was duplicated in the budget but could not give any details as to why the clearing of trees would cost as much as N60 million.
The House had last October mandated its Committee on IDPs and North East initiatives to investigate the alleged use of N270 million to clear grass by the office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF).
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