The Joint Committees on Interior of the National Assembly have questioned the Federal Fire Service (FFS) over several discrepancies in the agency's budget proposal during a budget defense session co-chaired by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, and its House of Representatives. his counterpart, Representative Abdullahi Aliyu Ahmed.
Consequently, the Joint Committees postponed the agency's budget defense due to inconsistencies in the prices of firefighting trucks and other items that were discovered when the Comptroller General of the FFS, Jaji Abdulganiyu Idris, made his presentation.
The committees discovered that 10 trucks were purchased for N1.5 billion in one case and N2.5 billion in another, despite being from the same company and having the same specifications.
However, Idris explained that the differences are due to variations in the size of tankers, which lawmakers criticized, pointing out the omission of such critical details in the budget documents.
Senator Oshiomhole said: “This is what some might call overfilling or overbilling. It is a very serious matter. What you wrote contradicts what you are saying and we force you to comply with your written statements.”
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According to him, “We need to appreciate the difference between contractual commitments and proposals. Without proper documentation, this committee cannot approve your budget.”
He emphasized the importance of fiscal responsibility and accountability, stating, “When you come before this committee, be prepared. “We will be critical, not to cause you problems, but to ensure that Nigerians get value for money.”
“The government should waste less. Every N10 lost by MDAs, when multiplied across all agencies, becomes an alarming figure. As our president constantly reminds us, he is trying to lift a bucket of water from a dry well. It is our duty to ensure that what little is extracted is properly distributed so that all Nigerians get a drink, especially the poor,” he added.
The committee also discovered ongoing projects with missing specifications and unclear contractual commitments.
The FFS 2025 budget proposal included a projected outstanding payment of N603 billion for existing contracts, but lawmakers questioned the lack of clarity over these commitments.
The committee expressed concerns about the FFS budget proposal, particularly discrepancies in figures and lack of proper documentation.
The committee also questioned the agency for failing to provide adequate information and evidence about the revenue it generated.
The Comptroller General of the FFS, Jaji Abdulganiyu Idris, could not provide evidence of remittance of income and submitted manual receipts which the committee rejected as insufficient.
Lawmakers demanded bank statements and evidence from the Accountant General's office to validate the transactions.
Following numerous discrepancies, the commission decided to withdraw the FFS budget defense, demanding a revised and accurate presentation.
Oshiomhole warned: “Work on your documents and make a proper presentation to this committee. Otherwise, the allocation for the agency will be null.”
He said the session underscored lawmakers' commitment to fiscal transparency and effective utilization of public funds.