Exclusive Transportation Ministry, Five Agencies to Spend N223.963billion in 2021

— NIMASA, NPA, NSC Budgets Missing

– Ministry to Build Border Freight Offices with N1.2 billion

Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation

The Federal Ministry of Transportation and five of its agencies are to spend a total of N223,963,569, 460 in the 2021 fiscal year as approved by the National Assembly.

The breakdown of the budget shows the Federal Ministry of Transports Headquarters being allocated N1,089,848,974 as Personnel Cost, N358,799,999 as Overheads and N156,611,063,047 for Capital Project , making a total of N158,059,712,020.

While the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) got a total of N30,992,004, 579 among which N21,749,000,000 is for Capital Project. Followed by Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) with budget allocation of N22,298, 117,464.

Others are National Inland Waterways Authority ( NIWA) got N7,050,943,752, Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) was given N3,462,870, 226 and Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron got the least sum of N2, 099, 921, 419, exclusive of NIMASA 5% monthly allocation and Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) from the academy.

Meanwhile, the budget approval for the key maritime agencies namely, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) is missing from the 2021 approved federal budgets for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Some allocations that catches attention in the ministry of transports budget is the approval of N342m for construction of Freight office at Jibya, Katsina State another N302m for freight office in Ilella border , Sokoto State, N190m for same office in Idiroko, Ogun State. While another N142m was provided for establishment and management of six national freight offices nationwide.

Other breakdown shows utilization and patronage of Eastern ports N33.250m, assessment visits to ports, ICDs etc projects N38m, establishment/ designition of national carrier, N142.5m, management of Seme- Krake joint border road corridor N190.5m and performance audit of agencies by FMOT to cost N100m.

Others are purchase of law books N14m, presidential standing committee on private jetties N47.5m, review of Nigeria transport masterplan N47.5m, monitoring of NCT in all states N30.4m, monitoring and evaluation of projects by the ministry N85.5m, while port management of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) got N142.5m among others.

On the NIWA’s budget, a total of N400m was allocated to removal of water hyacinths, wrecks removal got N300m, construction of Inland River port at Oguta , Imo state was allocated N350m, while river training works from Warri to Baro got N300m. Hydrographic survey/ charting of River Benue is N300m and that of Imo river to Opobo will cost N250m.

The allocations that catches attention in the controversial CRFFN 2021 budget are N1.013b for construction of headquarters office in Abuja, N750m for construction of Institute for Freight forwarding office in Lagos State and allocation of N356.594m as development of six zonal offices in the six geopolitical zones.

Others are N150m for capacity building and training of Freight Forwarders, N120m for monitoring and evaluation of Council’s capital projects and N100m for the evaluation of Council’s operations by the Governing Board and it meetings among others.