The Member of Parliament for the Bimbilla Constituency, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul has queried the Ministry of Finance’s prioritization of funds, particularly the allocation of capital expenditure (CapEx) to judgment debt in the 2025 budget.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Hon. Nitiful questioned the rationale behind such allocations while sidelining key development ministries.
“Mr. Speaker, judgment debt has CapEx! Judgment debt with CapEx—really? What are you going to build under judgment debt?”
Hon. Dominic Nitiwul Member of Parliament for the Bimbilla Constituency
Hon. Nitiwul began his remarks by emphasizing the collective responsibility of all Ghanaians to ensure good governance, stating;
“Let me say that this government will be in office for the next four years. And so, it is in our interest as a people to make sure that they give the people of Ghana a good life. Because if they rule badly, we will all suffer. If they succeed, we will all enjoy that success.”
Hon. Dominic Nitiwul Member of Parliament for the Bimbilla Constituency
He rejected the notion that criticism from the opposition was merely politically motivated, clarifying that their demands were based on the need for accountability:
Hon. Nitiwul’s analysis of the budget began on page 144, specifically addressing Appendix 4A on expenditure allocations. He expressed deep concern about certain ministries receiving no CapEx, particularly those responsible for employment and youth development.
“Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Sports came here to talk about how he would build stadiums, how he would rehabilitate stadiums. But on page 142, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation has no CapEx. They have no money. They have not been allocated money to do what they themselves said they were going to do in the budget. So who is the minister deceiving?”
Hon. Dominic Nitiwul Member of Parliament for the Bimbilla Constituency
In response, the Majority Leader attempted to justify the allocations by referencing a 13-billion-cedi fund under the “Big Push” initiative, which was meant for infrastructure projects spanning multiple sectors. However, Hon. Nitiwul dismissed this argument, pointing out the inconsistencies in specific ministry allocations.
“Mr. Speaker, all the major infrastructure ministries have CapEx. Even with what we are saying, they still have CapEx. So why is the Ministry of Sports and Recreation not having CapEx? Why is the Ministry of Labour, Jobs, and Employment not having any CapEx? Why is the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment not have any CapEx? They will have nothing to do! They will just go and sit in their offices and take their salaries.”
Hon. Dominic Nitiwul Member of Parliament for the Bimbilla Constituency
The Shocking Allocation to Judgment Debt
The most alarming revelation in Hon. Nitiwul’s speech was the allocation of GHS 3.7 to “General Government Services,” a category under the Ministry of Finance that allows discretionary spending.
Hon. Nitiwul drew historical parallels, warning that mismanagement of judgment debt allocations had led to financial scandals in the past, such as the Woyome. He said;
“Mr. Speaker, I remember I debated a similar budget in 2009. It’s a similar thing that happened. The government then padded judgment debt, and before we realized it, we had Woyome on our hands. I believe and I hope that this will not repeat itself again.”
Hon. Dominic Nitiwul Member of Parliament for the Bimbilla Constituency
Another controversial CapEx allocation was 200 million cedis for land compensation, which Hon. Nitiwul found equally perplexing.
“Mr. Speaker, land compensation—200 million Ghana cedis CapEx! Where did you find that from? CapEx for land compensation? To pay for land compensation, we are using CapEx? What are you going to build?”
Hon. Dominic Nitiwul Member of Parliament for the Bimbilla Constituency
He urged the Majority Leader to take these concerns back to the Cabinet for immediate rectification.
“Today, you have not made any allocation for Agenda 111, but you are making allocation for CapEx on judgment debt and CapEx on land compensation. Why are you doing that?”
Hon. Dominic Nitiwul Member of Parliament for the Bimbilla Constituency
Hon. Nitiwul’s passionate address in Parliament seeks to expose inconsistencies in the government’s budget, particularly the allocation of CapEx to non-physical projects like judgment debt and land compensation while starving crucial ministries of funds.
His call for a review of these allocations underscores the importance of ensuring that government funds are used prudently to benefit the people of Ghana rather than serving opaque financial interests.
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