Absence of Emefiele, Baru others delaying work on 2018 budget – Senate

The Senate on Wednesday raised the alarm that the absence of chief executives of revenue generating agencies before the Senate Panel is frustrating the quick passage of the 2018 Budget.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele; the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru; and the Controller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, among others failed to appear before the Senate Committee on MTEF/FSP.
Addressing newsmen, the Senate spokesman, Abdullahi Sabi, expressed dissatisfaction with the failure of the chief of executives of relevant government agencies to appear before the committee.
Sabi lamented that those chief executives are making the work of the Senate difficult vis a vis the 2018 Budget passage.
According to him: “We are disturbed.
“The Minister was around, but GMD of NNPC, Governor of CBN, Director General of Customs, Director General of National Bureau of Statistics were not present before the committee to respond to some critical questions.
“We are constrained by the actions of these chief executives.”