No N29 Billion Provision to Fight Militancy in 2017 Budget –Udoma

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Monday, January 2nd, 2017

By Ganiyu Nasirudeen

ABUJA, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning has described as ”erroneous” the publication which claimed that over N29b has been budgeted by the Federal Government (FG) to fight militancy in 2017.

The Media Adviser to the Minister of Budget Senator Udo Udoma, Mr. Akpandem James indicated Tuesday that the Publication signed by a member of the Central Working Committee of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Dr. Alfred Mulade, gave an impression that the FG has ”earmarked the sum of N29 billion in the 2017 budget, specifically to fight militancy in the Niger Delta”.

The story the Minister declared ”is erroneous”.

Senator Udoma contended that the relevant section of Dr Mulade’s purported statement did not indicate that the speculated provision was contained in the 2017 Budget.

Instead, he stated: “To make matters worse, the government is reported to have earmarked a whooping N29 billion of oil revenue to fight militancy in the Niger Delta region.”

”It must be clearly stated that there is no such provision in the 2017 Budget Proposals presented by the President, so we have absolutely no idea where this story is coming from” the insisted.

Udoma reiterated that President Muhammadu Buhari has consistently and categorically stated that the focus of his Administration in 2017 was to ‘continue to pursue peace initiatives in the Niger Delta’ through dialogue and engagement.

However, the Minister indicated that the Federal Government (FG) has earmarked for other projects in the Niger Delta, the sum of N65 billion in the 2017 Budget proposals for the re-integration of transformed ex-militants under the Presidential Amnesty Programme.