Nigeria’s Senate, yesterday, approved the sum of N11.3 billion as budget for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund in the 2020 fiscal year.
The approval came following consideration of the harmonised report of the Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs.
The implementation of the NPTF 2020 budget would lapse on the 30th of April, 2021.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Halliru Jika, presented the report of his committee at plenary.
Jika noted that the Joint Committee observed that it was the first budget of the NPTF since the establishment Act came into being in the year 2019.
He said, “Only the 0.5 per cent of the total revenue accrued to the Federation Account and 0.5 per cent of the total VAT were remitted to the NPTF Account.
“Other sources of revenue as prescribed in the NPTF Establishment Act have not made any remittance.”
He, therefore, called on the NPTF to expedite action on the implementation of the 2020 budget in other to meet up with the deadline of 30th April 2021.
Giving a breakdown of the budget component, the lawmaker said projected income was put at N34,984,314,243; and N11,354,457,101.70 for capital.
He, however, explained that the balance of N23,631,857,141.30 would be carried over to the 2021 budget of the NPTF.
He noted that the purchase of utility vehicles in the budget was replaced with procurement of the COVID-19 protection kits for Police personnel amounting to N358,379,191.00; and the sum of N533,894,117.70 earmarked for the procurement of drugs and medical equipment.
Similarly, the House of Representatives has approved the 2020 budget of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, which the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), presented to both chambers of the National Assembly for consideration and approval.
The House endorsed the budget with estimates totalling N11,352,457,101.70 based on the recommendation by the Joint Senate and House Committee on Police Affairs.
