Govt drops 26 professional bodies from 2024 budget allocation

The Federal government has finally dropped 26 professional bodies and councils of agencies from its budgetary allocations in the 2024 budget, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

By this, the government intends to save N27.72bn in budgetary allocations for the New Year.

In June, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Akabueze Ben, announced the discontinuation of budgetary allocations to professional bodies and councils effective December 31, 2023.

The letter, marked DG/BDT/GEN. CORR/2016/XII/3067 dated June 26, 2023, was addressed to the Registrar, Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology, an agency under the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The letter titled, “Discontinuation of Funding of Professional Bodies and Councils From 2024 Budget, In Line With The Decisions Of The Presidential Committee On Salaries,” further stated that the institutions were now regarded as self-funded organisations and will henceforth be fully responsible for their personnel, overhead and capital expenditures.

The letter partly read, “I wish to inform you that, the Presidential Committee on Salaries, at its 13th meeting, approved the discontinuation of budgetary allocation to Professional Bodies/Councils effective December 31, 2023.

“The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to inform you that, in compliance with PCS’s directive, this Office will no longer make: budgetary provisions to your Institution with effect from the above-stated date, and you will be regarded as a self-funded organisation.

“For the avoidance of doubt, you will be required, effective December 31, 2023, to be fully responsible for your personnel, overhead and capital expenditures.

The request for exemption by the council may have been granted.”

It was gathered that with the suspension of budget allocation from the government, some levies issued by these agencies like registration fees, licensing fees, renewal fees, examination fees and membership fees might become the primary source of funding among other alternatives,

Giving an update, the government in a document obtained from the budget office website, stated that 26 professional bodies and councils would be affected by the development.

The bodies and councils are under the Ministry of Trade and Investment, the Ministry of Information and Communication, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Mines and Steel, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Works and Housing, and the Ministry of Environment.

An analysis showed that N3.72bn would be saved from the exemption of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, N2.41bn from the Council for Registered Engineers of Nigeria, N4.52bn will be saved from the exclusion of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and N1.67bn from the Optometrist and Dispensing Opticians Board of Nigeria.