The Minister of Trade, Industry, and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, Wednesday, broke down the N1 billion budget proposal queried by the joint committee of the National Assembly on Trade, Industry and Investment, Tuesday.
It would be recalled that Uzoka-Anite came under fire, after the Senator representing Edo North, under the platform of the All Progress Congress, APC, and a member of the committee, Adams Oshiomhole, questioned the rationale behind the minister’s plan to spend over one billion naira on a trip to Geneva amidst economic hardship that has forced many Nigerians into poverty.
He said, “I see that you intend to travel to Geneva next year and you have budgeted over one billion for that.
“We cannot keep going on with over-bloated teams on foreign trips.”
In a new development, the minister in a statement issued by the Media aide, Toluwase Moyan, clarified that ‘Geneva’ in the proposed budget is with respect to the maintenance of the Nigerian Trade Office in Geneva, captured as ‘External Trade Sector, Geneva (WTO)’, which may have been misconstrued as ‘Foreign Trip to Geneva’.
The Statement reads, “We wish to categorically state that there is no line item in the proposed budget of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment referring to ANY ‘Foreign Trip to Geneva’,” the statement read.
It added that, “Rather, the only mention of ‘Geneva’ in the proposed budget is with respect to the maintenance of the Nigerian Trade Office in Geneva, captured as ‘External Trade Sector, Geneva (WTO)’, which may have been misconstrued as ‘Foreign Trip to Geneva’.
“In fact, the total amount (for NIGERIA’S TRADE OFFICE IN GENEVA) in the appropriation for 2024 is N1,610,183,599 with the breakdown as follows: Personnel Cost, N805, 379, 820; Overhead, N204, 058, 434; Capital, N600, 745, 345.”
The minister said as an active player in global trade, Nigeria needed to maintain an office in Geneva which is responsible for representing and defending the country’s multilateral trade interests.
“In fact, the current debt owed by the Nigeria Trade Office in Geneva as captured in the budget is N499,000,000.00, and it was deemed necessary to propose a budget that will service Nigeria’s outstanding debts in Geneva and maintain Nigeria’s respect and global standing amongst the comity of nations,” she said.
