Following the outrage which had trailed the billions of Naira allocated to the Presidency in the 2016 Budget, President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly ordered for a downward review of the budget. It was gathered on Tuesday that the president was angered at the bashing he was receiving over the billions allocated to his office, that of his vice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, as well as Aso Rock as a whole. Details provided by Nigeria’s budget office shows that the presidency got N19billion.
DAILY POST had published the breakdown of 2016 budget about a week ago. Further details on the presidential budget are as follows: State House headquarters – N12billion; President’s operations – N1.9billion; Vice President’s operations – N322million; Chief of Staff – N2.3million; Chief Security Officer – N3.2million; Lagos liaison office – N127million; State House medical centre – N3.9billion; Feeding N445million.
Most of the figures are higher to allocations budgeted for same departments in recent years under President Goodluck Jonathan. Our correspondent gathered that despite denials by presidential aides, Buhari has ordered that the allocation to the presidency be reduced.
Reacting, Buhari’s His Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu had on Monday admitted that some figures in the budget were new.
“Some of these figures being quoted are strange to us.” Shehu stated.
According to him, the Ministry of Budget and Planning have been instructed to look through the figures. Shehu advised the media to exercise patience until the federal legislature gets the details of the budget.
“When the National Assembly returns from recess, the lawmakers will be given the full estimates of the budget, including what is voted for each department, ministries and agencies. What is voted for the State House will also be included,” Shehu said.
A government official however confided in DAILY POST that the Budget Ministry had received presidential directive to slash the N19billion budget.
“The president became alarmed when his attention was called to the fact that the figures were higher to that of his predecessor, whom he criticised. He also demanded explanation on some of the allocations in view of the economic crisis.
“Expect a reduced figure. I can’t speculate by how much, but things not really necessary will either be slashed or outrightly expunged,” he told our correspondent at an event in Lagos on Tuesday.
Buhari had on December 22, 2015 presented a budget estimate of N6.08 trillion to a joint sitting of the National Assembly. Some parts of the budget have attracted criticisms from many Nigerians, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and even members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).