Senator Lalong presents budget report to appropriation committee, attends other legislative engagements

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By Anthony Maliki, Abuja

Senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District Simon Lalong and Chairman Committee on Agricultural Institutions and Colleges has presented the report of the 2025 budget defence by agencies under the oversight of the committee to the Senate Committee on Appropriation for further processing.

Senator Lalong while presenting the report to the Appropriation Committee regretted that Nigerian’s Agricultural Institutions and colleges are poorly funded to carry out their statutory duties.

This was contained in a statement by Dr. Makut Simon Macham, Special Adviser on Media to Senator Lalong.

He said the over 53 Agricultural Institutions and Colleges have only been allocated about 636 billion naira for both capital and recurrent expenditure.

Senator Lalong said the envelope system of budgeting is not working and will need to be addressed in order to make the institutions deliver.

He said the Institutions and colleges need to improve their activities through hiring experts and also training manpower to carry out research that will deliver on their mandate.

Chairman of the Appropriation Committee represented by Senate Chief Whip Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno said the entire budget for the agricultural sector needs to be looked into if Nigeria will succeed in improving the fortunes of the industry.

A member of the Appropriation Committee and Senator representing Plateau Central Senator Diket Plang expressed concern that the agricultural institutions are not performing due to the lack of funding and obsolete equipment and facilities.

Senator David Jimkuta also acknowledged the capacity of the institutions and colleges to perform optimally if well funded.

Senator Lalong also attended the budget meeting of Senate Committee on Tetfund and Tertiary Institutions as well as Defence.