The local and international travel plans, as well as the operation of the presidential air fleet, will cost the offices of the President and Vice President a total of N11.92 billion. This amount also includes 1.58 billion Nigerian naira that will be used for aircraft maintenance and 1.60 billion Nigerian naira that will be used […]
The local and international travel plans, as well as the operation of the presidential air fleet, will cost the offices of the President and Vice President a total of N11.92 billion.
This amount also includes 1.58 billion Nigerian naira that will be used for aircraft maintenance and 1.60 billion Nigerian naira that will be used for the overhaul of aircraft engines manufactured by Gulfstream GV and CL605.
On the other hand, members of the National Assembly will receive N100 billion for constituency projects. These projects, according to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission, have been marked by corrupt practices.
According to the Sunday PUNCH, the President of Nigeria, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Friday presented a budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly with a total amount of N20.51 trillion for the fiscal year 2023.
The budget is approximately N750 billion higher than the N19.76 trillion that was initially proposed in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper for the years 2023-2025.
After reviewing the appropriation bill, it was discovered that the Office of the President will spend N2.49 billion on domestic and international travel, while the Office of the Vice President will spend N846.61 million on the same category of expenses.
The budget for the PAF is placed in the same section of the document as that for the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The government will spend N250 million on the cost of fueling aircraft, N1.50 billion on the purchase of air navigational and defense equipment, and N650 million on the purchase of a new mobile helicopter landing pad.
It is anticipated that the insurance premium for all 10 aircraft in the fleet will cost N180 million, and bank fees will amount to N36.15 million.
Since the beginning of the Buhari regime in May 2015, the Presidency has disclosed that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) operates a total of ten aircraft.
These include a Boeing Business Jet (a Boeing 737-800 or NAF 001), one Gulfstream 550, one Gulfstream V (a Gulfstream 500), two Falcons 7X, one Hawker Siddeley 4000, four AgustaWestland AW 139 helicopters, four AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters, and two AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters.
On the other hand, not all of the money will be directly connected to the flight.
Sunday PUNCH also observed that in the PAF budget, N40.45 million was earmarked for the construction and equipping of a new presidential kitchen and crew rest area; N80.50 million was earmarked for the construction and equipping of a fleet defense coordination center; N120 million was earmarked for the renovation and equipping of the PAF Lagos warehouse; N100.75 million was earmarked for the construction of six units (four-bedroom) for senior officers and road network; and N100.
Both offices will spend a combined total of N508,71 million on consumables such as food and beverages. The current sum is N331.79 million, with the offices of President and Vice President receiving N176.92 million and N331.79 million, respectively.
When the financial budgets for 2022 and 2023 were compared more closely, it was discovered that the PAF allocations would decrease by 54.64 percent.
For example, the budget for the PAF in the year 2022 was N12.48 billion, which is 54.64 percent higher than the N8.07 billion that was allotted for the fiscal year 2023.
In the proposed budget for 2022, there were a total of 22 items that were categorized as either new or ongoing projects. The total value of these items was N8.13 billion.
However, in the proposal for 2023, there were only nine items that were designated as new or ongoing, and their total cost was N3.44 billion.
Constituency initiatives undertaken by legislators
The Federal Government has once more proposed N100 billion as a constituency budget for the statutory Zonal Intervention Project, the implementation of which will be handled by members of the National Assembly. This comes at a time when resources are in short supply.
It was observed that the allocation for the statutory N100 billion constituency projects was not reduced despite the fact that the budget will be largely funded with loans. The loans will be used to finance the majority of the budget.
This indicates that the Federal Government has spent more than N600 billion on projects in lawmakers’ home districts over the course of the past six years.
There have been controversies regarding the way in which legislators have carried out projects for their constituents, and the President has spoken out against the misuse of the allocation.
According to what Buhari had previously stated, “It is on record that in the past 10 years, N1tn has been appropriated for constituency projects, but the impact of such huge spending on the lives and welfare of ordinary Nigerians can hardly be seen.”
It was not explicitly stated how much money would be allocated for renovating the National Assembly complex; however, N1.7 billion was set aside for this purpose and categorized with other government building projects.