Minister of Trade  explains self on N1.6 billion allegedly allocated for foreign trip

The Minister of Trade, Industry and Investments, Doris Uzoka-Anite, has clarified that the N1.6 billion line item in the 2024 budget for the ministry is for the maintenance of the Nigerian Trade Office in Geneva and not for a foreign trip as widely reported.

The minister said this in a statement on Wednesday in response to a senator’s claim that her ministry planned to spend more than N1 billion on a trip to Geneva next year.

Mrs. Uzoka-Anite appeared before the Joint National Assembly Committee on Trade, Industry, and Investment on Tuesday to defend her ministry’s fiscal allocation.  Adams Oshiomole, the senator representing Edo North, had queried what he said was a line item in the budget proposal relating to a trip to Geneva.

“I see that you intend to travel to Geneva next year and you have budgeted over one billion for that. We can’t keep going on with over-bloated teams on abroad trips. Use the experts we have in your offices in the country to save costs,” Mr Oshiomole said.

While reacting to the item in the budget in a statement signed by her Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Badejo Ademuyiwa, Mrs Uzoka-Anite cleared the air that no proposal of her ministry provides for a foreign trip to Geneva.

She clarified that the N1.6 billion in the budget was allocated for the maintenance of the Nigerian Trade Office in Geneva.

“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.

“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.

“For clarification, Nigeria, as an active player in global trade maintains an office in Geneva responsible for representing and defending Nigeria’s multilateral trade interests in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), both headquartered in Geneva Switzerland.

“Expectedly, the Nigerian Trade Office, Geneva has obligations, overhead and maintenance costs as with any organisation, that must be met.”

She added, “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.”