2016 Budget: Senate Uncovers N5bn Shortfall For Meal Subsidy In Education Ministry

The Senate on Thursday uncovered N5 billion shortfall in the amount allocated as meal subsidy for Unity Schools as well as personnel cost of Kings College in the 2016 budget proposal submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Senate noted that only N6.8 billion was proposed for meal subsidy in unity school, instead of N11.2 billion needed. It also noted that the amount was grossly inadequate for the Unity Schools meal subsidy.

According to the senate, the implication was that the amount provided would only serve for six months, after which N5 billion would be needed to meet up with the shortfall.

Disclosing this during collation of the 2016 budget of Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education to the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Vice Chairman of Committee on Education, Senator Rose Oko, said there was the omission of N338 million from the personnel cost of Kings College, adding that instead of N375 million, the ministry budgeted N37 million due to typographical error.

However, the Chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, promised that his committee would accommodate the omission in the final budget.