The House of Representatives on Tuesday warned the Buhari government over plans to secure a $461million loan to reconstruct and upgrade facilities in selected Nigerian airports.
The House lamented that this was in addition to the $500 million already borrowed by the aviation ministry for the same purpose, outside the 2019 budgetary allocation of N47.5 billion.
Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC, Abia), spoke when the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, appeared for the 2019 budget defence.
She said: “I think our problem in this country is not with budgeting but implementation. It is sad that we are still grappling with only 11 per cent implementation of the 2018 budget.
“I’m also concerned about the minister’s new borrowing request of US$461 million, in addition to the US$500 million already borrowed.
“These are outside the 2019 budgetary allocation of N47.5 billion. I think we need to be careful over borrowing what our children will spend their life time repaying,” she cautioned.
In his remark, a member of the committee, Bashir Babale (APC, Kano), expressed concern over Nigeria’s budgeting system, which he said rarely considers funding means and capacity.
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