From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has explained that the high increase in the N6.5 billion total budgetary allocation appropriated for the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in 2024 to N78.5 billion in the 2025 budget proposal is due to the N68 billion counterpart funding provided for the World Bank projects.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim made this disclosure to members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Women Affairs on Friday during the Ministry’s budget defence session for the 2025 fiscal year.
Giving a breakdown of the budget proposal, she said, “The total budgetary allocation proposed for the Ministry in 2025 is N78.5 billion, as against N6.5 billion appropriated in the 2024 fiscal year.
“The wide gap in the budgetary allocation arose from the N68 billion counterpart funding meant for World Bank projects to be executed by the Ministry.
“The Ministry, aside from the N68 billion counterpart funding, has its own proposal of N7.4 billion for core capital projects in the fiscal year.
“N2.6 billion is proposed for personnel cost, while N810 million is proposed for overhead costs.”
The Minister lamented that of the N6.5 billion approved in the 2024 budget, only 18% of the N4.6 billion capital votes were released, which is N869.8 million. She, however, added that the N1.3 billion appropriated for personnel cost and N565.8 million appropriated for overhead costs in 2024 were released 100 percent.
Chairpersons of the committee, Senator Ireti Kingibe and Hon Kafilat Ogbara, commended the Ministry for generating over N4 million as internally generated revenue in 2024, which, according to them, had never happened before.
Ogbara said, “This committee appreciates your presentation and passion to take the Ministry to greater heights. Please study all the records at your disposal to correct any observed lapses in the past.”