DG Budget Akabueze Confirms 185 Duplications In 2022 Budget

The Director General of Budget Monitoring Office, Mr. Ben Akabueze, has described the 185 duplications in 2022 Budget as tolerable and negligible.

He said 54 items were not correctly titled and not duplication.

Speaking on the current affairs program, Economic Confidential monitored on Channelstv on Friday, Akabueze said even the total cost of N20billion attached to the duplication in the Budget is negligible.

“The total budget for the MDAs is about N4trillion. Out of this it’s only N20billion that was found to be duplication. We have to find out if it’s a mistake because it’s human being that prepared it or it was willful. We have to check if it was erroneously or deliberate.

“Since 2016 when the budget padding found its way into our budget preparation, it has become a fad. I don’t know if the duplication that’s called ‘padding’. Even the ICPC which came out with the report said the percentage wasn’t much. The percentage was about 00.01 percent.” He said.

Akabueze further said once such is found out, the Budget office will withdraw fund, adding that his office has no mandate to discipline them.

It will be recalled that the chairman of ICPC, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye has said during its program recently that over 300 duplication was found in the 2022 Budget. He also accused some heads of the MDAs of secretly recruiting without having the approval of the federal government.