The Senate has warned that the Federal Ministry of Environment or any of its agencies that it may receive zero allocation in the 2013 budget unless the ministry adequately defends its capability to utilise funds allocated to it in previous years.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Bukola Saraki, issued the threat in Abuja during the 2012 budget performance presentation of the Ministry and its agencies at the national assembly.

Senator Saraki says the essence of the budget defence is to improve the level of transparency, accountability and performance on the part of government institutions and establishments on the implementation of previous budgets.

He added that the committee wants to work in tandem with best practices by avoiding the budgetary year spill-over situation that extends to march of the following year, instead of from January to December.

The Minister of Environment, Hajiya Hadiza Mailafia, while defending the budget however told the committee that the ministry will complete all on-going projects in spite of late releases of appropriated funds from the ministry of finance.

She stated that the unprecedented rain fall and the devastating flood this year, posed some challenges to most of the contractors especially those who were already on site.