The House of Representatives seem to be winning the 2013 Budget as President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday sent another letter seeking for another amendment to the 2013 following the rejection of a similar amendment by the House on Wednesday.
In an apparent bid to placate the lawmakers as indicated in the letter, President Jonathan wrote “As you may recall, I had transmitted the 2013 Amendment Budget proposal to the National Assembly on 14th March 2013. However, following further consultations, I am forwarding a new version of the categorized 2013 Amendment Budget proposal, indicating changes proposed across the expenditure categories.”
The amendment was hinged mostly on clauses related to infrastructure and health, the Ministries of Works, Health, Transport Power and Education, highlighted the weakening stand of the presidency, apparently in favour of the lawmakers who had remained adamant on their stands in the ongoing 2013 budget saga. As follows;
“Ministry of Works: Abuja-Lokoja Road reduced by N4B; Kano-Maiduguri Road reduced by N3.5B; Dualisation of Ibadan-llorin Section 2 reduced by N5.5B; Rehabilitation of Jebba Bridge reduced by N1.25B; Rehabilitation of Burnt Marine Bridge and Iddo Bridge reduced by N1B; Special Intervention Fund for Emergency Roads and Bridges washout across the country reduced by N6.28B; Dualisation of Obajana Junction to Benin reduced by N4B, etc.
“Ministry of Health: MDG HIV/AIDS ARV drugs allocation reduced by N1; Routine Immunization Vaccines rduced by N1.75B; Malaria Programme procurement and distribution of insecticides reduced by N0.8B; Payment of pledge for Ochocerciasis Re certification cut by N0.12b; National Trauma Centre, Abuja reduced by N0.1B, etc.
“Ministry of Transport: Construction of Abuja-Kaduna Rail was reduced by N1.4B; Jebba-Kano Rail Line Rehabilitation reduced by N0.5B; Procurement and Rehabilitation of Wagons/Locomotives reduced by N1B; Insurance of Locomotives reduced by N0.2B etc.”
For the Ministry of Power, Jonathan said: A total of N16.3B was cut from power projects including the 215MW Kaduna Dual Fired Power Plant, which was reduced by N2.25B; 2nd Kaduna-Kano 33KV DC Lines reduced by N1.5B; Gombe-Yola-Jalingo 330KV SC Line reduced by N0.6B; Maiduguri 330/132KV Sub-station reduced by N0.3B; Kaduna-Jos 330KV DC Line reduced by N0.5B; Omotosho-Epe-Ajah 330KV DC Line reduced by NO. 8B, etc.
As noted in the letter, for Ministry of Education, “Allocations to various projects were reduced to the tune of A/5.64B, including the National Library Project which was cut by N2B.”