The National Assembly Joint Committee on Livestock Development has described the N11.8 billion budgetary estimate for the take-off of the newly established Federal Ministry of Livestock Development as inadequate.

The ministry had been allocated an envelope of N10 billion for capital expenditure and N1.8 billion for overhead in the 2025 budget proposal.

Wale Raji, the House of Representatives committee chairman on livestock development, said the amount earmarked for take-off of the ministry was inadequate.

“There will be a need for you to make a special presentation on this or, if necessary, come up with a supplementary budget that will reflect the hope of Nigerians. The budget is abysmally low to respond to the yearnings of Nigerians,” he said.

Also, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock, Musa Mustapha, said lawmakers would do their best to help the ministry achieve its mandate.

While describing the meeting as a foundation laying, Mr Mustapha observed that the ministry must brace up to give a progress report on challenges raised for the joint committee to make necessary interventions.

Earlier, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, said the ministry began operations with necessary structures in the formative departments from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

He said the ministry did not have office accommodations, including the facilities and operational equipment to run as a full-fledged ministry.

According to him, the ministry is currently being accommodated by the office of the secretary to the government of the federation.

Mr Maiha said the ministry had initiated a conversation with the FCT minister to secure adequate office space.

According to him, though the budget might be small, it will provide a roadmap for the ministry to take off effectively.

He said within the budgetary envelope, capital projects would be shared across geopolitical zones according to specific needs, adding that the projects would attract local and foreign investments.

He added that the ministry would engage in a massive, well-coordinated sensitisation campaign across national and local media to project the ministry.

The committee, thereafter, asked the minister to harmonise adequate financial needs and re-present them as a supplementary budget while promising prompt approval.

(NAN)