The Senate has expressed disapproval over the Ministry of Trade and Investment’s purported N1 billion expense for a trip to Geneva, Switzerland.
When Minister Anite Doris Uzoka appeared before the Senate Committee on Trade and Industry on Tuesday to defend the ministry’s 2024 budget, the committee delivered the criticism.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC-Edo North) spoke during the session and stated, “I see that you intend to travel to Geneva next year and you have budgeted over N1bn for that.”
“We cannot continue to send overburdened teams on international missions. To cut costs, make use of the professionals we have in your nationwide offices.
Oshiomhole further claimed that Uzoka, the minister, wasn’t at her office all the time during the period he visited.
“Madam, sit in your office and work for Nigerians,” he uttered. I’ve visited there twice. You are in the Bank of Industry at all times. You ought to have turned down the President’s invitation to become a minister if you had wanted BoI.
“I assure you that I can work from anywhere and give Nigerians results,” Uzoka said. I’m now remodeling my workplace.
Oshiomhole continued, saying, “Let’s do what we teach. We cannot discuss industrialization while continuing to import tires and toothpicks. We have to make sure that our items are domestic.
How is the trade balance, particularly with China? It is anticipated that nations that sell goods to Nigeria will establish factories there. To expand our industry, we must capitalize on our people.
“Sir, I regret to say that we seem to have no record of our Balance of Trade,” the minister said. Alternatively, it doesn’t exist within the ministry, which is why we established the Trade Intelligence Unit to make sure that this kind of information is produced and kept up to date.
Oshiomhole disapproved of the minister’s claim that her government lacked documentation of the country’s trade balance.
“No, ma’am. I disagree that no data exists. The CBN, Customs, and other authorities have access to this data, according to Oshiomhole.