*Staff emoluments gulp 93%
Ike Amos
Abuja — The Federal Government has allocated N30.22 billion to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and two other agency under the ministry — the Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, and the Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority, NNRA — in the 2021 budget.
In the budget proposal currently before the National Assembly, 93.02 per cent of the total amount was earmarked for personnel expenses, put at N28.11 billion, while N1.30 billion was allocated for overhead and N2.8 billion allocated for capital expenditure, representing 9.3 per cent of total allocation to the ministry and its parastatals
However, other agencies under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, such as the the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and the Petroleum Equalisation Fund, PEF, where not captured in the 2021 budget, because there are self-funding and make remittances to the Federation Account from their operations.
In the breakdown of total allocations to the petroleum ministry, if passed unchanged by the National Assembly, personnel of the PTI are to earn N13.41 billion as salaries, wages and allowances in 2021; staff of the NNRA are to earn N11.92 billion, while N785.73 million was budgeted for staff of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources headquarters.
Allocation for overhead expenses stood at N736.54 million, N250.13 million and N314.472 million for Ministry of Petroleum Resources Headquarter, PTI and NNRA.
Capital allocation, on the other hand, stood at N1.16 billion, N853.62 million and N792.65 million for the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Headquarter, PTI and NNRA, respectively.
Key capital allocations to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Headquarters in the 2021 budget included N331.7 million to be spent as statutory contributions to international energy organisations, such as the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), International Energy Forum (IEF) and gas Exporting Forum (GECF).
Also, N153.75 million is earmarked for the implementation of a new gas policy; N73.86 million is to be spent on the development of critical managerial competencies including International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS), for the oil and gas sector, with the relevant parastatals, legislature and Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC.
The government also earmarked N72.93 million for project monitoring and evaluation by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Headquarters; N72.83 million for legal services and litigation; and N59.04 million for upgrading of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Operations e-library, and annual subscription.
In addition, for the NNRA, N266 million was budgeted for the establishment and equipping of a nuclear security centre; N228.9 million for the procurement of security and safeguards equipment, liquid nitrogen plant; automatic dosimetry reader, harshaw – 8800) / accessories, plus Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) training, liquid scintilation counter and alpha spectrometry system, caesium irradiator, in-situ HPGe detector.
