Reps Approve N373M Take-off Grant For NASS Library Trust Fund

The sum of N255m has been approved by the House of Representatives for the National Assembly e-Library in the Appropriation Act 2022/2023 to be vired to the recurrent account of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund as part of the initial take-off grant.

The House also approved that N118m appropriated for the National Assembly Dashboard in the Federal Government budget should also be vired to the recurrent account of the NASS Library Trust Fund.

The approval was sequel to the unanimous adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by a member of the House, Jonathan Gbefwi, at the plenary on Tuesday.

The motion was titled, ‘Urgent Need to Vire the Sum of N255,000,000 and the Sum of N118,000,000 appropriated for the National Assembly E-Library and Dashboard, Respectively, in the 2022/2023 Appropriation Act to the National Assembly Library Trust Fund  as Take-Off Grant.’

Gbefwi noted that the National Assembly Library Trust Fund was established by the National Assembly Library Trust Fund Act, 2022, for the provision of state-of-the-art library equipment and other related facilities, for the retraining of legislators and staff of the National Assembly and for the enhancement of the research skills of the legislature in the handling of process of law making.

According to him, all things have been set in place for the take-off and running of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund via the constitution of the Board of Trustees, the appointment of an Executive Secretary for the Trust Fund, amongst others.

He said, “The House is aware that in the Appropriation Act, 2022, the sum of N255,000,000 and the sum of N118,000,000 were appropriated for the National Assembly E-library and the Dashboard, respectively, and no sum is appropriated for the National Assembly Library Trust Fund.

“The House is further aware that the management of the e-Library and the provision of electronic library facilities thereto falls within the exclusive mandate of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, and forms the basis for the establishment of the Trust Fund by this House.

“The House is concerned that any further delay in the in the virement of the sums appropriated for the National Assembly E-Library and the Dashboard, respectively, will impede the smooth take-off of the Trust Fund and invariably affect the attainment of the objectives of the Act in the 2022/2023 financial year.”