On Tuesday, January 14, the Joint Committee on Livestock Development from both the Senate and the House of Representatives rejected the proposed N11.8 billion budget for the 2025 take-off of the newly established Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.
Senator Musa Mustapha, the committee chairman, explained that lawmakers are aware of the many challenges involved in setting up a new ministry, and they plan to review the budget to ensure it meets the necessary needs.
The government had initially proposed a budget of N10 billion for capital expenditure and N1.8 billion for overhead costs for the ministry, which began its operations about three months ago.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, appeared before the joint committee with ministry officials and discussed the difficulties the ministry is facing as it gets started. He revealed that the ministry is still in the process of setting up and does not yet have proper office space. “The take-off process is ongoing with necessary structures being put together from formative departments from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. We are yet to have office accommodation,” he said.
Wale Raji, the Chairman of the House Committee on Livestock Development, questioned the level of involvement from the Presidential Implementation Committee in the ministry’s establishment. He stated that the proposed budget was too low to meet the needs of the ministry and the expectations of the Nigerian people. “There will be need for you to make special presentation on this or come up with a supplementary budget that will reflect the hope of Nigerians. The budget is abysmally low to respond to the yearnings of Nigerians,” Raji said.
