Reps seek adequate funding for NIMC, NYSC, others in 2025 budget
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The House of Representatives is pushing for adequate funding for some government agencies, over the amount proposed in the 2025 budget estimates.
The Deputy Spokesman of the House, Mr Philip Agbese, has said on Monday.
Ahead of the possible passage of the N49.70 trillion 2025 budget proposal this week by the National Assembly, Agbese told The PUNCH that some agencies considered very critical to the nation’s socio-economic development have been pencilled down for improved funding in the 2025 fiscal year.
While reiterating the commitment of the Speaker Tajudeen Abbas-led House to playing its part in birthing a new Nigeria; the lawmaker enjoined Nigerians to be hopeful, noting that the current hardship being felt across the country will soon give way to national prosperity.
He said, “We are making a case for improved funding for the National Identity Management Commission, the National Youth Service Corps, and the Nigerian Defence Academy in the 2025 budget proposal. There are other agencies of government that are likely to benefit from this too.
“Yes, NIMC has become a very important agency of government in the past few years. A lot of Nigerians may not know how critical the agency is but we can’t talk about a national data bank without making empowering that commission.
“They came up with a robust projection for 2025 but they can only deliver if they are empowered to train their staff members, and acquire the latest technological devices critical to the work they do. Without the NIMC, the war against terrorism will be difficult for the government and the security agencies.”
According to the All Progressives Congress lawmaker, the time has come for the reformation of the NYSC scheme, given its contribution to the manpower needs of the nation in both the public and private sectors.
“The ideal of the NYSC must be sustained and this informed the decision to demand adequate funding of the corps. It is too early to disclose the amount we have agreed on but it is important to say that the National Assembly is not happy with the state of the NYSC.
“We have it to be better funded to meet the needs of corps members. During their service years; they gave a lot to the nation in a way that cannot be explained with ease,” he added.
He made a similar argument for the NDA, noting that “At a time terrorists continue to come up with new strategies despite the gallantry of our troops; we cannot but devise means to outwit them. One of the ways to do this is to improve the funding of the institutions charged with the mandate of building the capacity of our security personnel to tackle emerging security challenges.
“In all this, we also realized that the budget envelope system is not enough to meet the capital expenditure needs of most of these agencies. If you recall when the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle appeared before the House Committee on Defence to defend the ministry’s budget; one of the things he complained about was the paltry allocation of N50bn in the 2025 budget proposal. It is the same story for other agencies of government.”
He also noted that foreign missions deserve commendation for their services to the nation, adding that an upward review of their budget estimates has been agreed by the House.
Recall that in the 2025 Appropriation Bill, presented to the National Assembly on December 18, 2024, by President Bola Tinubu, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was allocated N66.88bn for capital expenditure and N286.88bn for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure.
Disturbed by the poor proposed allocation, the Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Oluwole Oke told PUNCH Online in January 2025 “The needs assessment conducted by the ministry indicates they require N1.5tn.
“While the Federal Government may not be able to meet this in a single financial year, and in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework approved by the parliament, the ministry and its missions should receive at least N500bn. We must also consider the impact of the unstable exchange rate.
“We have numerous obligations, including subscriptions to international organisations, passage allowances for Foreign Service Officers, and the United Nations General Assembly, among others.”
“We have made a case for the foreign missions because of the critical services they are rendering to Nigerians in other countries,” he said pointing also that the parliament has been very impressed with the stewardship of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo.
“The Aviation Ministry under the watch of Festus Keyamo has brought in a lot of reforms aimed at boosting the government’s revenue as well as improving our national image. We are prepared to improve on the funding of the Ministry in this year’s budget proposal,” he stated.
Agbese urged Nigerians to stay optimistic in the New Year, noting that the Federal Government with the support of the National Assembly is working hard to make life enjoyable to the citizens within the shortest possible time.
