Managing Director NIWA Chief George Moghalu
The Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority NIWA, Dr George Moghalu, wants approval to exit from the Recurrent allocation (comprising both Overhead & Personnel costs) effective from the 2022 Budget, with a view to becoming fully autonomous by 2023.
He made this known at the 2022 budget proposal before the Joint Committee of Senate on Marine Transport and House of Representatives Committee on Ports and Harbours/Inland Waterways.
Dr Mohalu said the Authority’s exit would provide additional funding for the Federal Government to service other interests especially capital infrastructure development.
He explained that as a deliberate policy drive toward attaining financial autonomy, the Authority exited the Overhead Allocation in 2020.
“We are now poised to opting out of the Recurrent Allocation (comprising both Overhead and Personnel costs) effective from the 2022 Budget, with a view to becoming fully autonomous by 2023.
“Consequently, the Authority in its Year 2022 Proposal accorded priority to the completion of all on-going projects especially those that align with the new policy objectives of Government’s Medium Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2021-2025 and Nigeria Agenda 2050.”
Dr Moghalu explained that exiting the national budget would not stop the regulatory authority of agencies of government.
He presented a budget of over N12 billion, for year 2022.
A member of the Committee Sen. Isa Jibrin representing Kogi East stressed the need for more MDAs to exit the national Budgetary to lessen the burden on the Federal Government.
The Chairman of the joint committee Senator Danjuma Goje adjourned the budget defence and urged the Agency to put their records in order and re-present.
Reporting by Amaka Ene, editing by Daniel Adejo