Reps approve N831bn for INEC, security agencies towards 2019 elections

By Kemi Yesufu, Abuja

The House of Representatives has approved the
virement of total sum of N831.259 billion for Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) and the five security agencies as part of funding the 2019 general elections.

The INEC budget proposal was passed three months after a back and forth between the presidency and the National Assembly, following the adoption of a motion titled ‘Approval of the request for virement of
funds to finance the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
and security agencies towards the preparation for the 2019 general
elections’, sponsored by Mustapha Dawaki, chairman House Committee
on Appropriations and passed without debate.

The total budget approved in the 2018
Appropriation Act for INEC and all the five security agencies totaling
N589.014 billion, was added to the N242.45 billion supplementary
budget proposal for the 2019 general elections.

The N242,245,050,100 approved by the House is to vired from the
Service Wide Vote approved in the 2018 Appropriation Act.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had in a letter dated 11th
July, 2018 requested for virement of the sums of N4.3 billion for
Office of the Security Adviser; N12.21 billion for Department of State
Security (DSS); N3.6 billion for Nigeria Security and Civil Defence
Corps (NSCDC); N30.5 billion for Nigeria Police while N2.6 billion was
earmarked for Nigeria Immigration Service for the general elections
from the N578.31 billion inserted in the 2018 Budget by the National
Assembly.

However, the House through voice vote approved total sums of N234.507
billion for INEC; N46.949 for Office of the National Security Adviser;
N50.792 billion for DSS; N82.834 billion for NSCDC; N351.562 billion
for Nigeria Police Force and N64.615 billion for Nigeria Immigration
Service, respectively.
In the 2018 Appropriation Act signed into law by President Buhari,
totals sums of N45.5 billion was approved for INEC, N76.025 billion
was approved for NSA; N324.221 was approved for Police Force; N37.467
billion was approved for NSA; N40.579 was approved for DSS while
N79.261 billion was approved for NSCDC.

According to sources privy to the workings of the National Assembly,
the total amount approved in the 2018 Appropriation Act was added to
the new supplementary budget and passed by the House.

Also the House passed
the Electoral Act (amendment bill) for second reading and referred
to the Committee of the whole for further legislative action.