The Zamfara State House of Assembly has threatened not to allocate any fund to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government if the SSG, Alhaji Bala Bello Maru failed to appear physically before the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation to defend the Office’s budget estimates, reports The Gazelle News.com.
The Committee thus gave Maru Tuesday, 22 December, 2020 to appear before it or face the full wrath of the House.
Also ordered to appear physically was the state Commissioner for Environment and Solid Minerals, Dr Nura Isah Gusau, whose Ministry’s officials were also prevented from defending the budget estimates of the Ministry without the Commissioner.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Hon Muhammad G. Ahmad, who gave the directives, pointed out that any chief executive that failed to appear in person before his committee to defend the budget estimates was not in anyway helping the administration of Governor Bello Muhammed Matawalle in its quest to bring in development and growth to the state.
Hon Ahmad wondered why any chief executive that wished the present administration well would fail to appear in person before the House Committee whereas the state Governor personally made himself available and presented the 2021 Appropriation Bill physically before members of the House.
Ahmad further maintained that unlike in the past, when the past administrations used to have analog system of budget proposals, the 2021 budget is digital based and must come into effect on Friday, 1 January, 2021.
He commended chief executives of MDAs in the state for the support and cooperation shown to his committee since the commencement of the budget defence and hoped that such cooperation and support will be maintained till the end of the exercise.