By Aluta News
Nov. 10, 2021
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, says the Ministry is determined and willingness to improve on its Internally generated Revenue (IGR) with a view to making up for the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.
The Director of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Mrs Blessing Lere-Adams, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to her, Aregbesola stated this during the 2021 Budget Performance and 2022 Budget Defence with the House of Representatives Committee on Interior at the National Assembly (NASS).
The Minister spoke after the presentation done by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaib Belgore, who is the Accounting Officer of the ministry, with the Chairman of the Committee, Nasiru Daura.
Subsequently, Daura requested that the ministry may wish to present for assistance, areas where they would require help.
The minister, thereafter, brought forward some of the needs of the ministry, which bordered on needed increased provision for Monitoring and Evaluation.
Aregbesola noted that the envelope system was not adequate to ensure effective and proper supervision of all the services under its control nation wide.
The minister also appealed for increased funding to be able to organise an all-inclusive stakeholder’s engagement across the country on issue of internal security, especially with the recent jailbreaks in some states.
“The ministry under my watch is confronting the challenge of lack of regular stakeholders engagement across the country, but all of these require huge funding that the committee will graciously look into for improvement.
“There is much need for an increased consultancy funds from the current envelope, this is to ensure that the proposed Institute of Security is properly funded.
“This is to achieve its aim of training all security officers on the basic requirements that will ensure our collective peace and tranquility in Nigeria that will in return grow a strong economy.”
Belgore, subsequently, presented both the appropriations of 2021 and 2022 Budget to the committee on Interior, Chaired by Nasiru Daura.
He noted that the ministry, saddled with the responsibility of safety, internal security and citizenship integrity of the country, played a vital role in ensuring that citizens were well protected.
The permanent secretary also noted that the ministry currently has nine Marriage Registries across the country, but that comparatively, the number was not enough to adequately accommodate all the large crowds that needed the facilities.
“Nevertheless, the ministry already has a Presidential approval to open additional 26 Registries before the end of 2022,” Belgore added.
Belgore, while responding to some issues raised by the committee members on insurance, revealed that some buildings at Ikoyi Marriage Registry were dilapidated and provision for more funds is urgently required for the renovation of the structure.
This, he noted, would go a long way in enhancing efficient and effective operations in the facility.
Earlier, Daura expressed his appreciation to the minister and his team for honouring the invitation to the Budget Performance and Defence meeting.
The chairman also assured that the committee shall be willing to assist the ministry in getting appropriate funding that would help it achieve its target and mandates.
NAN