The Senate Committee on Livestock
Development has raised concerns over discrepancies between the revenue-generating potential of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and the revenues they report, calling for improved accountability, transparency and financial management.
Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Senator Abdul Ningi, made this known on Tuesday during an interactive session with agencies under the ministry at the National Assembly in Abuja.
Ningi said the committee was concerned that some agencies engaged in revenue-generating activities might not be adequately accounting for funds generated from their operations.
He identified tuition and other student-related fees, annual dues, professional registration and certification fees, grants, research activities, laboratory services, consultancy and technical services as potential revenue sources for the institutions.
According to him, properly harnessing these revenue streams would strengthen the agencies’ financial capacity, improve service delivery and reduce their dependence on government funding.
He, however, expressed concerns over the adequacy of existing revenue collection mechanisms, the completeness of financial reports and whether funds generated by the agencies were properly documented and accounted for.
The senator explained that the planned oversight exercise would enable the committee to assess the operational realities, financial conditions, revenue profiles and institutional challenges facing the agencies.
He said the exercise would also determine whether available resources were commensurate with their statutory responsibilities and whether their revenue collection and management systems were efficient, transparent and effective.
Ningi stressed that the exercise was not intended to intimidate any agency or create an atmosphere of suspicion, describing it as a fact-finding and institution-building initiative aimed at identifying gaps and addressing weaknesses.
He noted that livestock development institutions played critical roles in national food security, public health and economic growth, adding that their responsibilities required adequate funding, modern infrastructure, qualified personnel and efficient administrative systems.
“The Committee recognises the critical role these agencies will play in advancing large-scale development.
Their contributions to animal health, evidence-based operations, regulatory control, manpower development, animal protection and environmental services are essential to national food security, public health, economic growth and the realisation of the current government’s livestock development objectives,” he said.
He added that these responsibilities could not be effectively discharged without adequate funding and sound financial management.
The deputy chairman said the oversight visits would provide an opportunity to examine the agencies’ revenue profiles, the volume of funds generated, collection procedures, the adequacy of financial records and compliance with applicable treasury and financial regulations.
He added that the committee would identify potential revenue leakages, weaknesses in internal controls and administrative bottlenecks that could undermine the effective management of public resources.
Ningi urged committee members and officials of the agencies to approach the exercise with a shared commitment to improving efficiency, strengthening accountability and reducing revenue leakages.
He assured the agencies that the committee was not a court of law but a partner operating within the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.
The senator called for openness, cooperation and shared responsibility, expressing hope that the exercise would establish administrative mechanisms capable of improving institutional performance beyond the committee’s tenure.
The interactive session was convened to discuss the scope and modalities of the planned oversight visits and secure the cooperation of the agencies in the committee’s efforts to strengthen accountability and financial management across the livestock development sector.
