Onu assumes office, directs workers to begin 2020 budget preparation

The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, has directed workers in the ministry to begin the 2020 budget preparation, to attain January- December budgetary cycle.

Onu gave the directive at a meeting with the Permanent Secretary, Directors and Heads of all the Parastatal agencies under the ministry, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

The minister who assumed office shortly after the inauguration of the 43 appointed minister by President Muhammadu Buhari said the workers should align with the vision of the Federal Government to return budget to normal cycle.

“President Buhari is willing to return the budget cycle to January- December because we have not a regular budget cycle in a long time.

“Luckily for us, the National Assembly has pledged to work with us and the President wants us to submit our budget estimates latest by September.

“The officials of the Budget Office will be meeting with you in the next two weeks, so you have to meet tomorrow to discuss this.

“I want us to be the first ministry to submit budget estimates. We have done this in the past four years and I trust we will not fail,’’ he said.

Onu who occupied the same position in the immediate past administration said the President expected them to put into proper use, any money allocated to the ministry.

“We must work together as a team to achieve our mandate,’’ he said

The minister said that the President was pleased with him and that was why he got reappointed.

It was reported Onu is among the 14 ministers that got re-appointment by the President.

The minister pledged to operate open door policy and urged the workers to work with the newly inaugurated Minister of State, Mr Mohammed Abdullahi.

Also speaking, Abdullahi called for the support from the workers to advance the development of science and technology in the country.

He said he was assigned to work with Onu to achieve the transformation agenda of the government.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Bitrus Nabusu welcomed the two ministers and expressed willingness to work with them.

Nabusu said Onu advanced the cause of the ministry in his first term in office, adding that having two ministers would be a morale booster for the workers.

It was reported that the two ministers are expected to meet with the management and members of staff as well as directors-general of agencies and Parastatals under the ministry on Thursday.

The ministry has the mandate to facilitate the development and deployment of science and technology apparatus to enhance the pace of socio-economic development of the country.