2016 Budget: Senate queries N10b t‎ucked into education for parastatals

The Senate Committee on Secondary School Education on Monday queried the rationale behind the increase in only the budget of parastatals by only about N10 billion while the budget of universities reduced by as much N16 billion.
But the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, ‎Folasade Yemi-Esan, who gave account of the education budget performance in 2015, ‎said the reduction in personnel budgets of schools and colleges was not imposed on them.
Yemi-Esan claimed that it was what they submitted that the ministry collated and submitted as their personnel costs‎
However, the committee ‎wondered why parastatals, which were meant to support the institutions, should have their personnel budget increased by such a huge volume.
The trouble began when the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, requested for explanation on the rationalw behind ‎increase in only the budget of parastatals by about N10 billion, while the budget of universities reduced by as much N16 billion.
Adeyeye therefore demanded for explanation into the budget of agencies in the ministry
Adeyeye said: “‎For personnel cost, almost every sub-sector of the ministry got quite some money, while the main ministry, colleges of education, polytechnics, universities and so on, except the parastatals, that have increase.
“I want to know why every other person lost money except parastatals.
“What is so unique about parastatals?
“If somebody is retired, we hope the person is replaced.
“If not, the person suffers unless the person was not doing essential services before.
“Likewise for the ministry and institutions.
“What is so golden about the parastatals that they should gain at the expense of the institutions?
“Some of us feel that the parastatals are too many and that the schools are the ones at the heart of education.
“So if anybody should gain, it should be unity schools, polytechnic and universities.
“So, if these parastatals are supposed to serve them and they are the ones who keep growing and the rest are coming down, we want to know why.
“The parastatals are having N9 billion extra, while other persons are losing.
“We want to know.
“We don’t want to punish them but you must justify it.
“Right now, I am inclined to say you won’t get that unless you can justify it.
“The point is by your own figures: parastatals are requesting almost N10 billion more than they got last year.
“How did they get that quantum lead?”