ABUJA – The Senate yesterday received a N299 billion 2015 Appropriation Bill for Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from President Goodluck Jonathan.
In the bill, which was accompanied by a letter from Jonathan and read by President of the Senate, David Mark, the commission’s budget proposal represented 7.1 percent drop from its 2014 approved estimate of N322 billion.
The proposed budget, according to the letter, is made up of Personnel Expenditure of N16.13 billion, Recurrent Expenditure of N10.42 billion, Internal Capital Expenditure of N1.88 billion and Capital Projects Development Expenditure of N271.09 billion.
It stated that the budget would be funded from N10 billion revenue brought forward from 2014, Federal Government contribution of N70 billion and unpaid arrears by Federal Government amounting to N20 billion.
Other sources, it indicated, included contribution from oil companies and other companies totalling N160 billion, Ecological Fund of N40 billion and other internally generated income of N100 million.
Estimated income to the commission from various sources during the period as contained in the letter is N300 billion.
Mark also announced the receipt of a request from Jonathan to consider an Act to Enact the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (Establishment) Bill, 2015.
Reports say that The Great Green Wall is a planned project to plant a wall of trees across Africa at the southern edge of the Sahara desert.
This initiative developed by the African Union aims to address the detrimental social, economic and environmental impacts of land degradation and desertification in the Sahel and the Sahara.
Meanwhile, the Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshots Bill, 2015 and the Nigerian Metallurgical Industry Bill (2015) scaled first reading.
Equally, the request for confirmation of Justice Amiru Sanusi as a Justice of the Supreme Court was referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further legislative action.
However, reports on 2015 Appropriation Bill, as well as Petroleum (Upstream and Downstream) and Gas Resources Petroleum Industry Bill 2015 were deferred to another legislative day.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan
