The Niger State House of Assembly Committee on Youth and Sports Development has called for improved budgetary provision for youths and women empowerment.
Chairman of the Committee, Mohammed Haruna, made the call during the 2021 budget defence by the state’s Ministry of Youth and Sports Development on Thursday in Minna.
Haruna said that the N150 million proposed for capital projects in the ministry was inadequate to carter for training and empowerment of youths and women in the state.
He said that out of the N150 million for capital projects, only N18 million was provided for youths and women empowerment.
According to him, the amount is inadequate to address issues of unemployment among the youths. The chairman said that the committee had received series of complaints from youths and women organisations that the budget allocation was low.
“They complained that the budget is not enough to address issues of unemployment among the youths in the state,” he said, promising that the assembly would ensure an increase in the budgetary allocation to sector.
The chairman gave assurance that the committee would ensure that the ministry access its complete 2021 budget to enable it address unemployment among the teaming youths.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Umar Emmanuel, said that the 2020 budget envelope for the ministry was N200 million.
Emmanuel disclosed that the ministry was able to access only N18 million for capital projects, adding that the budget performance of the ministry was 9.25 per cent.
