The House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals has demanded a detailed report on projects executed by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development in the past year. The request was made during a budget defence meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mary Ogbe, who appeared to present the Ministry’s 2024 budget performance.
Committee Chairman, Jonathan Gaza, criticised inaccuracies in the Permanent Secretary’s presentation and directed the Ministry to submit a comprehensive report by Tuesday.
“We cannot appropriate funds without understanding the true utilisation of the 2024 budget allocation. You must provide details of all projects, including budget codes, allocated amounts, contractors, award dates, project status, performance percentages, and lot numbers,” Gaza stated.
He emphasised the importance of transparency, insisting that the revised report should include all relevant information, such as contractor details, procurement advertisements, and Federal Executive Council approvals. “Ensure the submission is complete, precise, and in line with our requirements,” Gaza added.
During her presentation, Ogbe disclosed that the Ministry was allocated N25.05 billion for 2024, comprising N894.4 million for overhead costs and N23.15 billion for capital expenditure. She reported that as of October 31, 2024, N745.37 million had been released for overheads, representing 83% of the allocated amount, with a balance of N149.07 million remaining.
Ogbe further noted that the Ministry achieved 100% utilisation of non-debt recurrent expenditure. However, only 11% of the capital expenditure had been utilised due to ongoing procurement processes and pending Federal Executive Council approvals.
She explained that the Ministry operates under a bottom-up cash plan, requiring project execution before payments can be made.
