The House of Representatives on Thursday unanimously removed the proposed sum of N5.095 billion for the purchase of a presidential yacht from the Nigerian Navy’s capital budget proposal of N62.800 billion.
However, the money was added to the initial sum of N5.5 billion proposed for Student Loans, thereby increasing the Student Loan fund to N10 billion.
The House also approved the sums of N100 billion for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), N100 billion for the Federal Ministry of Housing, N50 billion for Police Formations and Commands, N50 billion to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA); N49,046,831,697 for Department of State Services (DSS); N28 billion for State House and N18 billion for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), respectively.
The lawmakers retained the proposed N28 billion for the State House, which includes allocations for various purposes, such as the purchase of SUV vehicles, replacement of operational pool vehicles, renovation of residential quarters for the President, renovation of Aguda House, computerization and digitalization of the State House, and the purchase of official vehicles for the office of the First Lady.
Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Abubakar Bichi, provided insights into the House’s resolutions, saying, “Today, our Committee has submitted our report, and after careful consideration, the House has approved our submission with the following breakdown.”
“As you know, the budget amounts to about N2.177 trillion, and the Ministry of Defence is allocated N546,209,009,671 due to the crucial importance of national security. The Police Formations and Commands received N50 billion, and the FCT was allocated N100 billion to enhance its competitiveness on a global scale. The Office of the National Security Adviser’s budget was increased to N50 billion from the initial N27 billion. The State House’s budget remains at N28 billion.”
“Ministry of Agriculture plays a critical role in ensuring food security, and we’ve maintained their initial allocation of N200 billion. In the case of the Ministry of Housing, addressing the housing deficit is a priority, and we’ve approved N100 billion for this purpose. The Service Wide Vote was reduced to N515 billion from N615 billion.”
“For INEC, we’ve retained the N18 billion budget, and our total approval today stands at N2,176,791,286,033.”
Hon. Bichi emphasized the House’s commitment to overseeing the proper utilization of the allocated funds and ensuring their impact within three months.
Regarding the proposed Wage Award, Hon. Bichi stated, “As you know, the president requested a N35,000 increment for workers, which we have approved. Approximately N210 billion has been allocated for Nigerian workers, and we believe they will soon experience the positive effects of this increase, as the House of Representatives has officially approved it.”
. TheWitness
