Senate Passes N876bn NDDC 2023 Budget, As 12 Board Members’ Aides Get N451m

The N876 billion 2023 budget for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has been passed by the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday after a thorough debate that tends to bring out the impact of the commission on the people of Niger Delta region in past years.

Aside the N451million provision for aides to 12 Board members of the commission, the approved budget also contains N576 million earmarked for running of Office of the Chairman of the Commission, Lauretta Onochie.

The breakdown for the office of the Chairman showed that the personnel cost will gulp -156 million, overhead -N312 million and Internal capital – N108 million.

For the Managing Director’s office, N546.597 million was earmarked for personnel cost, N747.500 million for overhead cost, N163.504million for Internal Capital.

Others are Executive Director Finance & Administration Office, personnel cost N133.337million, and Overhead cost N457.465million and N163.504million for Internal capital.

The Corporate Affairs Department of the Commission, also got N1.061 billion from the votes, out of which N431.076 million is for personnel cost, N845.566 million for overhead and N63.081 million for Internal Audit.

In the overall budget of the commission, personnel expenditure gulps N34.2 billion, overhead expenditure will gulp N17 billion, internal Capital expenditure will gulp N3.7 billion, Development projects will gulp N490 billion and Federal government intervention in the Niger Delta – N330 billion.

The revenue sources to finance the budget are Revenue brought forward – N5 billion, Federal government contribution – N119 billion, Federal government contribution (unpaid areas ) – N430 Billion , Oil companies contributions – N297 billion, Ecological funds – N20 billion and other Internally Realized income – N500 million.

Report for consideration and approval for the budget, was presented by Senator Bulus Amos in his capacity as Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs.

In his remarks after passage of the budget, President of the Senate Ahmed Lawan said the exercise was very expedient in order not to let the people of the region suffer from further delays.

Sixteen out of the 37-member committee signed the report, considered and approved by the Senate.