By Ignatius Okorocha
The Senate, has asked the federal government to ensure remittance of 1% from the federation account into the coffers of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), from September this year, in line with the extant laws.
The Senate made this demand when the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Professor Mohammed Sani Haruna, made submissions on revenue projections of the agency for the 2021 budget before the Senate’s joint Committee on Finance and National Planning.
In his presentation, Haruna lamented that the agency had never received 1% remittance from the federation account as provided for by the 2004 National Assembly Act that set it up.
The Act according to him, stipulates that NASENI shall draw from the federation account, 1% revenue accruing to the the Federal Treasury beginning from year 2000 but the agency had never received a kobo from the federation account.
Concerned by the submission, the joint committee ordered the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) Ahmed Idris, to from September this year, commence the disbursement of 1% allocation from the federation account into the covers for NASENI.
“The Act setting up NASENI was the Act of the National Assembly and the Accountant General of the Federation could not be allowed to flout the law .
“Therefore , since the AGF is here , please ensure that the executive starts implementation of the law from September this year because NASENI has potentials to develop and industrialise the Nigerian economy through the core mandates given to it by the extant laws”, he said.
