The National Assembly on Monday summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, along with his counterpart in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, and the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, over the inadequate budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Solid Minerals in the 2025 fiscal year.

The summons followed the refusal of the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning to appear before the National Assembly as directed last Wednesday.

The joint committee, chaired by Senator Sampson Ekong (PDP, Akwa Ibom South), had expressed dissatisfaction with the N9 billion proposed as the capital vote for the Ministry of Solid Minerals in the 2025 fiscal year. When the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, appeared before the committee last week for the budget defence session, the committee refused to consider the 2025 budget proposal for the ministry and instructed the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning to appear before it on Monday.

Bagudu’s failure to appear before the committee and the lengthy lamentations made by the Minister of Solid Minerals regarding the failed efforts to have the N9 billion budgetary proposal reviewed upwards led the joint committee to include the Director-General of the Budget Office in the summons.

The summoned ministers and the DG of the Budget Office, as announced by the committee chairman, are to appear before the committee at 3 pm on Tuesday this week.

“Hon Minister, we are satisfied with the spirited efforts you have made to get the N9 billion budgetary proposal for your Ministry in 2025 reviewed upwards by the ministers in charge and the DG of the Budget Office, but we are disappointed that despite these efforts, nothing has been added to the proposed N9 billion,” said the committee chairman.

“Solid minerals is a very vital sector needed for the diversification of the nation’s economy. We declared last week that the N9 billion proposed for the ministry for the 2025 fiscal year was grossly inadequate and rejected the proposal. We are surprised that it is the same proposal the minister brought today.

“Therefore, in line with the resolution taken, this joint committee still rejects the N9 billion proposal for the Solid Minerals Ministry and has summoned the Ministers of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, and the DG of the Budget Office to appear before it tomorrow (Tuesday) at 3 pm prompt,” he added.

Earlier, the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, recounted all the efforts he made prior to the presentation of the N49.7 trillion 2025 budget to the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, by President Bola Tinubu, and even up until last week, to get the N9 billion allocation for Solid Minerals reviewed upwards without success.

“I met the President on the need for an upward review of the N9 billion budgetary proposal for the Ministry of Solid Minerals, met the Minister of Finance, met his counterpart in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and also met the Director-General of the Budget Office.

“They all gave assurances upon assurances to get the N9 billion proposal reviewed upwards, but I am surprised that, up until now, as I sit before this joint committee, nothing has been done,” he said.

Irked by the minister’s lamentations, a member of the committee, Hon. Kama Nkemkanma from Delta State, alleged that the 2025 budget was a “budget of sabotage” because critical sectors needed to drive the economy are grossly underfunded.

“The affected ministers and the DG of the Budget Office must appear before this joint committee as resolved,” he said.

NASS summons Edun, Bagudu over poor budgetary allocation to Solid Minerals Ministry