The National Assembly Joint Committee on Interior, on Friday, halted the budget defence of the Federal Fire Service after uncovering significant irregularities in its 2025 proposal.
The session, co-chaired by Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Abdullahi Ahmed, Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Interior respectively, flagged discrepancies ranging from procurement costs to incomplete documentation on ongoing projects.
A key point of contention was the cost of 10 fire trucks procured by the FFS. The committee discovered that the trucks were purchased at varying prices—N1.5 billion in one instance and N2.5 billion in another—despite being from the same manufacturer with identical specifications.
FFS Controller General, Jaji Idris, attributed the difference to variations in tanker sizes. However, lawmakers criticised the agency for omitting such crucial details in its budget documents.
Senator Oshiomhole expressed his frustration, calling the discrepancies a serious issue. “What you wrote contradicts what you are saying, and we hold you to your written statements. This could easily be seen as over-padding or over-invoicing,” he said.
The committee also raised concerns over ongoing projects with vague specifications and unclear contractual commitments.
The FFS budget included a projected outstanding payment of N603 billion for ongoing contracts, but lawmakers noted the absence of proper documentation to support the claims.
Highlighting the importance of accountability, Oshiomhole stated, “Without proper documentation, this committee cannot approve your budget. Every N10 lost by MDAs, when multiplied across all agencies, becomes an alarming figure. It is our duty to ensure that Nigerians get value for every naira spent.”
Another sticking point was the agency’s failure to provide adequate evidence of revenue remittances.
The committee rejected manual receipts presented by the FFS as insufficient and demanded bank statements and confirmation from the Accountant-General’s Office to validate the transactions.
Given the irregularities, the committee postponed the FFS budget defence and instructed the agency to revise its documents. “Work on your documents and submit a proper presentation to this committee. Otherwise, there will be zero allocation for the agency,” Oshiomhole warned.
The lawmakers emphasised that the session was not intended to obstruct the agency but to ensure fiscal responsibility and transparency in public spending.
The Federal Fire Service now faces the task of addressing these discrepancies to secure funding for 2025.
