The National Assembly Joint Committee on Interior has raised concerns about the Federal Fire Service (FFS) budget proposal, leading to a suspension of the agency’s budget defense.
This happened when FFS Controller General, Jaji Abdulganiyu Idris, appeared before the committee, which was co-chaired by Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Abdullahi Aliyu Ahmed, to defend the 2024 budget performance and the 2025 proposal.
One of the issues highlighted by the committee was the inconsistency in the pricing of firefighting trucks. They discovered that the price for 10 trucks was N1.5 billion in one case and N2.5 billion in another, even though both were from the same company and had the same specifications. Idris explained that the price difference was due to different tanker sizes, but the committee criticized the lack of details in the budget documents.
Oshiomhole expressed concern, calling it a serious issue and pointing out the contradiction between the agency’s written statements and its explanations.
The committee also flagged ongoing projects that lacked proper specifications and clarity on contract commitments. The FFS budget proposal for 2025 included a projected outstanding payment of N603 billion for existing contracts, but there was no clear explanation of these obligations.
Oshiomhole stressed the importance of proper documentation and said that without it, the committee couldn’t approve the budget. He also highlighted the need for careful handling of public funds to ensure they are spent responsibly.
The committee raised concerns about the FFS not providing proper evidence of revenue it generated. Idris presented manual receipts as proof of revenue remittance, but the committee rejected them as insufficient. They demanded more reliable proof, such as bank statements.
Due to these issues, the committee decided to postpone the FFS budget defense, asking the agency to submit a corrected and more detailed proposal. Oshiomhole warned that without the proper documents, the agency would not receive funding.
