…..Tinubu’s Minister of Trade in trouble at Senate for proposing to spend N1 billion on trips to Geneva in 2024
By Haruna Salami
The Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Doris Nkiruka-Anite Tuesday incurred the wrath of members of the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Trade, Industry and Investment at the budget defence for proposing to spend N1 billion on trip to Geneva in 2024.
The proposal was captured in the budget document submitted to the Committees which elicited wild reactions from members who felt, it was outrageous and out of tune with the mandate of her office.
In line with the tradition of budget defence, the Minister was asked to address the panel and speak to the document as well as an explanation on the performance of the 2023 budget before seeking for fresh funds.
After her address, Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District and former Governor, Adams Oshiomhole raised concern over the Minister’s plan to embark on trip to Geneva with a proposed N1 billion.
The lawmaker said, the Minister should use experts in her offices to achieve results rather than embarking on trip that would gulp such a humongous amount of money.
He said: “I see that you intend to travel to Geneva next year and you have budgeted over one billion naira for that. We can’t keep going on with over blotted teams on abroad trips. Use the experts we have in your offices in those country to save cost”.
Oshiomhole accused the Minister of not always available in office to discharge her responsibilities, revealing that she would always be in the Bank of Industry (BOI).
He advised the Minister that “she would have made her preference of BOI known to President Tinubu before her appointment as Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment”.
He said: “Madam sit in your office and work for Nigerians. I have gone there twice. You are always in the BOI. If you preferred BOI, you should have declined the President’s nomination to be Minister.
“Let’s practice what we preach. We can’t talk about industrialisation and keep importing toothpicks and tires. We must ensure that we have homegrown products”.
Oshiomhole accused the Minister of not doing enough, even he asked if the Ministry knew the nation’s balance of trade between it and other business transactional countries.
“What is our balance of trade? Especially with China. Those countries importing things to Nigeria are expected to build factories in Nigeria. We have to take advantage of our population to grow our industries”.
Responding, the Minister said: “I assure you that I can work from anywhere and give Nigerians results. My office is currently under renovation”.
“Sir, I regret to say that we seem to have no record of our balance of trade.
“Or at least it doesn’t exist in the Ministry and that is why we initiated a new unit called trade intelligence unit to ensure that such data are generated and stored”.
Oshiomhole insisted that there was data at the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS and other agencies, which the Ministry has failed to access.
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