The minister of trade, industry, and investment, Doris Nkeiruka Uzoka-Anite, has explained that the N1.6 billion in the ministry’s 2024 budget proposal was earmarked for the country’s trade office in Geneva, Switzerland, and not for foreign trips.
Uzoka-Anite had come under criticism when she appeared before the national assembly joint committee on trade and investment to defend her ministry’s 2024 budget proposal on Tuesday.
After presenting the figures in the budget, Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north and a member of the committee, questioned a line item in the budget proposal which provides N1billion for a single trip to Geneva.
However, in a statement on Wednesday, Toluwase Moyan, media aide to the minister, quoted Uzoka-Anite as saying that such a line item does not exist.
“We wish to categorically state that there is no line item in the proposed budget of the federal ministry of industry, trade, and investment referring to ANY ‘Foreign Trip to Geneva’,” the statement reads.
“Rather, the only mention of ‘Geneva’ in the proposed budget is with respect to the maintenance of the Nigerian Trade Office in Geneva, captured as ‘External Trade Sector, Geneva (WTO)’, which may have been misconstrued as ‘Foreign Trip to Geneva’.
“In fact, the total amount (for NIGERIA’S TRADE OFFICE IN GENEVA) in the appropriation for 2024 is N1,610,183,599 with the breakdown as follows: Personnel Cost, N805, 379, 820; Overhead, N204, 058, 434; Capital, N600, 745, 345.”
The minister said as an active player in global trade, Nigeria needed to maintain an office in Geneva which is responsible for representing and defending the country’s multilateral trade interests.
“In fact, the current debt owed by the Nigeria Trade Office in Geneva as captured in the budget is N499,000,000.00, and it was deemed necessary to propose a budget that will service Nigeria’s outstanding debts in Geneva and maintain Nigeria’s respect and global standing amongst the comity of nations,” she said.
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