18th December, 2019
The National Assembly has retained the N3. 327 billion which the executive proposed as travel expenses for President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in the federal government’s 2020 budget.
The budget as passed by the legislators and signed into law by President Buhari, yesterday, indicated that the President would spend a total of N2.526 billion on local and international travels, while Vice President Osinbajo was allocated N801 .035 million.
A breakdown showed that President Buhari would spend N1.751 billion travelling across the globe, while N775.602 million had been earmarked for his local travel. The Vice President was allocated N517.060 million for international travel; while he would be expected to spend N 283. 974 million travelling within the country.
President Buhari would spend about N98. 306 million on foodstuff and catering materials; while the VP was allocated N50. 888 million for the same purpose.
The State House was earmarked a total capital expenditure of N4.806 billion, of which about N474 million would be spent on the purchase of motor vehicles. General maintenance services were allocated about NN416 million and another N380.534 million for materials and supplies; while N476. 869 million would be spent on utilities, such as electricity, water, internet and sewage.
N996. 908 million would go to miscellaneous expenditure, with honorarium and sitting allowances taking the bulk of N478. 313 million.
Welfare packages were allocated to N240.730 million. Conservation upgrade of the Villa ranch and construction of wildlife conservation capture was allocated N12.945 million.
Frivolous items in FG 2020 budget:
The federal government budget is replete with items which monitoring would literally be impossible, an indication that a lot of items would be impossible to track, especially by the media, Civil Society Organisations and, indeed, the public.
According to a report by Vanguard, under the Ministry of Works and Housing, budget item with code ERGP 12142038, entitled “Payment for other on-going projects and retention,” was allocated N571. 6 million.
The affected projects and their locations were not mentioned.
Similarly, item ERGP 12142047 Routine intervention on the road network in the 36 states by Federal Controllers of Works was allocated N1. 039 billion; while ERGP 12142022 was allocated N886 million.
The item is for intervention on internal roads of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Construction of drainages across Malumfashi/Kafur Federal Constituency, Kastina, which was allocated the sum of N100 million, had no specific site addresses.
Similarly, construction of culverts across Yobe North senatorial district which was allocated N300 million, had no accompanying addresses.
Other strange line items in the Ministry of Works and Housing budget included construction of Community Centres in 6 LGAS of Yobe North, allocated N420 million; provision of starter packs economic empowerment materials across the federation, with emphasis on hunger and learning, allocated N1 billion; while provision and installation of sign and signages across 6 geopolitical zones was allocated N500 million. The ministry budgeted N2. 8 billion for solar boreholes, which is the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources; N5. 962 billion for settlement of MGDs, SGDs and direct mandate liabilities; as well as another N952. 280 billion for provision of Maternity Centres which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday signed the 2020 Appropriation Bill of N10.594 trillion into law.
The signing ceremony witnessed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, President of the Senate, Dr.Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of State, Budget and others, took place at the President’s office, Presidential Villa, Abuja.