The House of Representatives Committee on Science and Engineering on Thursday suspended consideration of the 2026 budget proposal of the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), citing the absence of its Director-General, Dr. Olushola Odusanya.
The committee also resolved to delete the agency’s allocation from the 2026 Appropriation Bill and recommend the DG’s immediate removal for failing to appear before lawmakers or submit required documents for scrutiny.
The decision was taken during a budget defence session in Abuja chaired by Mr. Inuwa Garba, who represents Yamaltu/Deba Federal Constituency of Gombe State. Garba described the agency’s absence as unacceptable, particularly during the budget review process.
“No presidential appointee should treat an invitation from the legislature as optional,” Garba said, noting that President Bola Tinubu personally presented the national budget to the National Assembly. He added that the committee would not tolerate actions perceived as disrespectful to the Constitution or democratic governance.
Lawmakers said the move should serve as a warning to other agency heads who fail to honour invitations or provide necessary documents during budget defence sessions. Tensions between ministries, departments and agencies and the National Assembly have repeatedly surfaced during appropriation cycles over similar issues.
In a related development, the committee raised concerns over the 2025 budget performance and 2026 estimates of the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology (NiCFOST).
Members criticized the council’s low internally generated revenue, which stood at about N385,000 in 2024 and N285,860 in 2025, and questioned the sharp rise in overhead costs from N95.40 million in 2025 to N195.73 million in the 2026 proposal.
Responding, NiCFOST Registrar Mrs. Veronica Nkechi-Eze said the council’s revenue comes from registration fees and annual professional dues of N5,000 and N2,000 respectively, paid by about 10,000 members. She said the increase in overhead was not part of the agency’s original submission to the Budget Office.
Garba said the committee would engage further with the council before taking a final decision on its proposal.
