By Levinus Nwabughiogu

Abuja—For allegedly flouting extant laws of the land, the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, yesterday, declined to approve the 2023 budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Yakub, at a budget defence session of the ministry, told the Minister, Geoffery Onyeama, that he broke Section 10 of the 2022 Appropriations Act (as amended). 

He expressed anger that the ministry did not honour a letter sent to the minister, informing him that the embassies could form tenders board to spend their capital component of the budget.

He said: “It follows that all funds appropriated to MDAs like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others, must be accounted for before the Ministry is able to come to request for another such appropriation, hence this budget defense session.

“One is, therefore, surprised and, indeed, it beats every logic that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has deliberately refused to abide by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and by other statutes of the land, including the Standing Orders of the House. 

”The question this Committee is asking the Minister of Foreign Affairs is: Is he bigger than Nigeria and its laws? Or how else will one explain the constant flagrant abuse of the laws of the land even when we have continued to write letters to the Ministry reminding it of relevant provisions of our laws that demand abiding by.

“According to Section 10 of the Appropriations Act 2022 (as Amended), Missions and Embassies have been empowered to constitute their Tender Board for the purpose of the procurements they need to make.