Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has expressed the Ministry’s determination and willingness to improve on the Internally Generated Revenue of the Ministry with a view to making up for the negative effects experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020.
Aregbesola stated this during the 2021 Budget Performance and 2022 Budget Defence with the House of Representative Committee on Interior at the National Assembly Complex Building, Abuja.
The minister, who spoke after the presentation done by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaib Belgore, who is the Accounting Officer of the Ministry, before the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Nasiru Sanu Zangon Daura and members of his Committee, said that the ministry might wish to present for assistance areas where they would require help.
The minister, thereafter, brought forward some needs among which were increased provision for Monitoring and Evaluation, saying that the envelope system was not adequate, and to ensure effective and adequate supervision of all the Services under its control nationwide, the Ministry was appealing for increased funding to be able to organize an all-inclusive stakeholder’s engagement across the country on issue of internal security especially with the recent jail attack incidents in Imo, Imo State, Kabba, Kogi State, and only recently in Abolongo in Oyo State.
Aregbesola, also said that “the Ministry under his watch is confronting the challenge of lack of regular Stakeholders engagement across the country, but all of these requires huge funding that the Committee will graciously look into for improvement.”
He said there was much need for an increased Consultancy funds from the current envelope, stressing “this is to ensure that the proposed Institute of Security is properly funded to achieve its aim of training all security officers on the basic requirements that will ensure our collective peace and tranquility in Nigeria that will in the end grow a strong economy.”
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore presented both the appropriations of 2021 and 2022 Budget to the House Committee on Interior Chaired by Hon. Sani Zango Daura.
Belgore said that the Ministry of Interior, was saddled with the responsibility of safety, internal security and citizenship integrity of our nation which plays a vital role in ensuring that Citizens are well protected.
He also said that the “Ministry currently has Nine Marriage Registries across the country, but that comparatively this is not enough to adequately accommodate all the large crowds that needs to use the facilities, nevertheless, the Ministry already has a Presidential approval to open additional 26 Registries before year 2022 ends.”
The Permanent Secretary while responding to some issues raised by committee members on the issue of Insurance, disclosed that
”some buildings at Ikoyi Marriage Registry were dilapidated and provision for more funds is urgently required for the renovation of the structure to enhance efficient operations.”
Earlier in his welcome address, the House Committee Chairman, Hon. Sani Zango Daura expressed his appreciation to the Minister of Interior and his team for honouring the invitation to the Budget Performance and Defence meeting, while also assuring them that the “Committee shall be willing to assist the Ministry in getting appropriate funding that will help the Ministry achieve its target and mandates.”
In attendance were the Hon. Chairman of the House of Representative Committee on Interior and members of the Committee of the House of Representative Committee on Interior and all directors from the Ministry of Interior.
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