By Ade Iyamoye
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Agricultural Production and Services has expressed strong disapproval over the absence of some agency heads during the ongoing 2025 budget defence, warning that any agency under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security whose Chief Executive Officer (CEO), fails to appear in person may face zero budget allocation.
Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Saliu Mustapha, and his House of Representatives counterpart, Bello Kaoje, voiced their frustration on Thursday, condemning the decision of certain agency heads to travel despite President Bola Tinubu’s directive that all heads of agencies must personally defend their budget estimates.
Their displeasure was particularly directed at the Director General of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, who was absent during his agency’s budget defence. Senator Mustapha rejected the appearance of Isegbe’s representative, insisting that the DG must appear before the committee by Monday, January 20.
Senator Mustapha emphasized that the committee would not consider budget estimates from agencies whose CEOs fail to show up.
“When the President presented this budget, he was clear that all heads of agencies must be present to defend their allocations.
“Despite this, some of them have chosen to travel. We are giving him another chance, but we work within a strict timeline, and failure to comply will result in a zero allocation,” Mustapha warned.
He further stated that even if the DG had an urgent reason to be absent, he should have at least personally introduced those representing him.
“At the end of the day, we will ask questions that only the accounting officer can answer. Are we supposed to keep accepting excuses? Tell him he has 48 hours to appear,” he added.
Bello Kaoje, Chairman of the House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, reinforced the warning, stressing that the National Assembly would not tolerate non-compliance with budget defence requirements.
“The President himself presented this budget before the National Assembly, underscoring its significance. If agency heads refuse to show up, they should be prepared to forfeit their budget allocation,” Kaoje stated. Beyond the budget defence controversy, Senator Mustapha highlighted the alarming World Food Programme (WFP), projection that 33.1 million Nigerians will face acute hunger in 2025, stressing that food security is not negotiable.
“Agriculture plays a critical role in food security, economic stability, and rural development. Climate change, desertification, and other environmental challenges are already threatening agricultural productivity, making improved budgetary allocations a necessity,” he said.
He also expressed concern over the rising cost of food, noting that agricultural produce is becoming unaffordable for the average Nigerian.
“This situation demands a policy shift. We must prioritize measures that will increase food production and improve agricultural yields,” he urged.
The lawmakers assured their commitment to passing an effective budget but emphasized the need to balance capital allocation with recurrent expenditure to ensure the agricultural sector gets the funding it requires.
With the deadline for budget defence fast approaching, agencies under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security now face a critical ultimatum—appear before the National Assembly or risk losing their budgetary allocations.
