The Federal Ministry of Transportation has presented N92.6 billion budget to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Land and Marine Transport for the ministry and its agencies for 2023 fiscal year.
The Minister, Mr Mu’azu Sambo, in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Relations, Eric Ojiekwe, presented the budget at the National Assembly on Thursday in Abuja.
Sambo also presented the 2022 Budget Performance of the ministry which was , out N147.5 billion of which N52.1 billion, representing 35.33 per cent had been released and N38.9 billion utilised as at Oct. 25.
He said the ministry, through the support of the Joint Committee, was in the process of implementing the Nigeria Railway Modernisation project.
He said it was also progressively expanding the Railway network through yearly budgetary appropriations, following the challenges being faced in securing counterpart funding through loans.
According to him, the implementation of the Kaduna – Kano, Port Harcourt- Maiduguri and Kano-Maradi segments of the Railway modernisation is ongoing, with the Federal Government counterpart funding in the 2022 appropriation.
”We are expecting the Federal Ministry of Finance to conclude negotiations of the loans with the Infrastructure Development Finance Institutions of the Chinese, Portuguese and Turkish origin to implement the projects.
“Permit me to also report that the Lagos – Ibadan segment of the Lagos – Kano and Itakpe to Warri railway project are fully operational and receiving patronage from the general public.
”To reach practical completion of these projects, some aspects of works, including construction of overpass bridges, connection to the national grid and other ancillary provisions have to be completed.
”Therefore, adequate funds need to be provided in the 2023 budget to facilitate the practical completion of the projects,”
Sambo said.
The minister said,” while recording successes achieved in the Railway subsector, permit me to also mention the sad occurrence of the Abuja – Kaduna Rail incident of March 28.
He said,” With the release of those abducted, the ministry plans to commence operation on the line, but not without taking proper precaution by installing necessary security gadgets to monitor the line and forestall a reoccurrence.
” It is our hope that distinguished senators and honourable members will assist the ministry in achieving this plan”.
The minister used the opportunity to further emphasise that the ministry, as part of its mandate, had continued to pursue the implementation of government policies in the Land Transport Sub- sector in the country.
He said these included issues relating to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocols and conventions entered into in respect of the sub- sector.
On the National Freight Offices at Iiela, Sambo said: “We have achieved significant progress in completing the ongoing National Freight Offices at Iiela Jibiya and Idiroko in addition to other Land Transport Projects.
” With your support, the capturing of all these projects and Programmes as proposed before you in the 2023 Budget proposal will assist us further towards actualising the desired goals.”
Earlier, the Chairman, National Assembly Committee on Land and Marine, Sen. Danjuma Goje, expressed dismay that the budget was not implemented within the fiscal year, in spite of early approval by the National Assembly.
“You see, the National Assembly has been able to achieve approval of the budgets within the budget circle; for three years, we have been able to approve these budgets by the end of December.
”Surprisingly, the implementation of the budget does not correspond with the urgency to which we attach in approving these budgets,”
Goje said.
He gave the assurances that the Committees would support the minister and the agencies to succeed.
Goje then enjoined them to see that the budget was implemented faithfully, to deliver government’s intentions and democracy dividends to Nigerians.