More than a month after President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2016 National budget, its breakdown is still generating heated arguments among Nigerians. Buhari after stressing the economic problems that confronted the country due to the fall in oil prices pledged the budget would cut waste from government spending and it's funds would only be used for public good. However, Premium Times extensive review of the proposed budget, discloses that it is a collection of fraudulent and frivolous allocations, many of which are reportedly meant to support the wealthy lifestyle of public
Below are 8 most bizzare allocations: 1. Allocation for books for Vice President Osinbajo’s office The office of the vice president has more money assigned to it for books than what each of the federal polytechnics in the country is receiving for the same purpose. On the Osinbajo’s books were proposed to spent N4,906,822, though the total allocation for books for 11 out of 22 federal polytechnics, which actually have book allocations, was a mere N3,832,038. READ ALSO: Seven major beneficiaries from Budget 2016 revealed 2. A new VIP wing of the State House Clinic N308million from the budget is planned to spend for constructing a new VIP wing at the clinic. In comparison to the State House Medical Centre’s N3.8billion sharing, only N2,666,853,303 was proposed in the budget for the construction of hospitals across the country. 3. The cables, the lightings and the billions The presidency also planned to spend N322,421,971 to link a cable to the drivers’ restroom at the Aso Rock villa. Another N213,873,953 was proposed for linking of a cable from Guest House No 9 generator house to the gate. The installation of electrical lighting and fittings at the villa will cost another N618,604,265, what means spending N1.6 million daily installing lighting and fittings.
Another N371,733,964 were allocated for the installation of electrical distribution boards and other cables. 4. President’s guest house The presidency allocated N387,980,200 for the general face-lift of Aso Rock guest house, while furnishing the rooms in the guest house will cost N45million. 5. The rent for presidential villa The most strange allocation of all seems to be the proposed N22,321,880 budgeted for presidential rent at the State House. It is unclear whom Buhari is paying the rent
to. Another bizzare allocation is N20,260,300 for sporting and games equipment for the Presidential Air Fleet. 6. Exotic cars Despite speaking of the cut of the cost of the governance N904,015,000 was proposed to be spent for the purchase of brand new automobile fleet and fleet maintenance equipment in the year. READ ALSO: President Buhari presents 2016 National Budget 7. N1.4billion houseboats for officers The deadly Boko Haram sect continues its attacks while the Ministry of Defence proposed to spend N1.39 billion for the procurement of a houseboat in Abuja, a floating
house mostly used for relaxation and a dwelling place by top officers. 8. N140million naira for Fashola Fashola’s ministry proposed to spend N140,000,000 for the construction of a single solar borehole, and N161,500,000 for the construction of a motorised borehole.
There are also some repetitions in the document. The proposed budget for the National Institute for Oil Palm Research has a duplication of the same line items with different allocations. The agency proposed N15,000,000 for water reticulation in main station and immediately proposed the N5,000,000 for the same item. Likewise, the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology repeated the allocation for “Construction/Provision of Agricultural Facilities” twice with different figures. The item was first cost for N626,037,709 and then for N50,000,000. There was controversy over the national document when the Senate couldn’t find hard copies of the budget. In fact, Buhari has written to parliament requesting the withdrawal of the 2016 budget in order to make changes, sources at the presidency.
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