Enugu Assembly authorises N7bn virement

The Enugu State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed the bill seeking to authorise the virement of N7.1 billion for capital and recurrent expenditure for the year ended 31 December, 2019.
Speaking at plenary, the Leader of the assembly, Mr Ikechukwu Ezeugwu said that the essence of the bill was to enable the executive to transfer monies originally provided in the appropriation law from one ministry to the other.
It will be recalled that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi had assented to the budget appropriation of N109 billion for the 2019 fiscal year.
Explaining the merits of the bill, the leader said that it did not alter the 2019 budget of over N109 billion.
“This does not alter the appropriation. What we are doing is to move money from one section to the other,” he said.
Explaining further, he said that N1.5 billion which was originally voted for the completion of the International Conference Centre was reduced to N700 million, thereby saving about N800 million for other projects.
According to him, the executive cannot spend any money without authorisation from the legislature, pointing out that that was why the executive came to the assembly.
The bill was eventually passed with a motion moved by the member representing Ezeagu Local Government Constituency, Mr. Chima Obieze.
In a related development, the assembly also passed the bill seeking to amend the law that established the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, (ESUT).
This is to allow for a multi campus status which the institution was originally designed before it was altered in 2004 which made it a one campus University.
Before the passage of the bill, it generated controversy as some members wanted the University campus to be sited in their zones as well.
Recently, the executive approved the establishment of three faculties: medical sciences, social sciences and Agriculture in the three senatorial zones of the state.
Commending his colleagues for the quick passage of the amended bill, the Speaker of the assembly, Chief Edward Ubosi, thanked members for their contributions and pointed out that the bill was not meant for a particular zone but for the whole state.
“This bill is not about this zone or that zone.  It is about doing the right thing.  It is not about Nsukka but maintaining the former multi campus structure.
“This bill is Enugu State bill.  I do not want a situation whereby somebody is going to Nsukkazise or Nkanunise the bill,” he said pointing out that it was not only Nsukka people that would be in the University but everybody.
The assembly also adopted the Social protection Policy Frame Work to ensure that vulnerable and less privileged people are well taken care of.
The sponsor of the bill, who is also the leader of the assembly, Ezeugwu said that the policy emanated from the executive and also had a similar policy at the national level.
Ezeugwu recalled that sometime late last year, the state executive council deliberated and transmuted the document to the assembly.
The leader said that what was contained in the document were virtually things that the state government had been doing adding that it was talking about scholarship, inclusive education, affordable house and domestication of the Child Right Act.
He said that Enugu would be the third state in the federation that had cued into it.