Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs has queried the provision of N1.3bn in the 2012 budget allocation, to the State House for food, entertainment and furniture.
The committee described as outrageous the provision which also included the purchase of computers after Presidency officials presented the details of their budget to the committee on Monday.
It wondered why a whopping N500m would be allocated for the purchase of foodstuff alone.
It also raised the alarm over a separate allocation of N293m for refreshment in spite of the provision for food items.
The committee also flayed the provision of N265m for the procurement of computers, which had been captured in the 2011 budget and the N295m for furniture.
Raising some of questions, a member of the committee, Senator Isa Galadu, said, “The huge allocation for food stuff in a country where 70 per cent live below a dollar and 90 per cent live below two dollars per day is out rightly outrageous. I do not understand why you have allocated N293m for refreshment, apart from the food stuff allocation. The people are correct and they are right to show their anger on this.”
Chairman of the committee, Senator Dahiru Kuta, also demanded explanations from the Permanent Secretary at the Presidency, Mr. Tunji Olaopa, on the N265m budget for computers and the N295m for furniture which was for an unspecified residence.
He said, “The purchase of residential furniture for N295m, is it for the residence of Mr. President? Also, you have N265m for computers, you bought computers last year, why do you still want to buy computers this year?”
Olaopa, in his response, said government was committed to reducing expenditures even at the State House, as shown by the N18.3bn allocated to the State House in 2012 as against N20bn in 2011.
He said the allocations were to cater for statutory meetings and other official engagements at the State House.
Justifying the inclusion of the computers, Olaopa noted that it was included in the 2012 budget because only N5m was released in 2011.
According to him, the furniture is meant for the Vice-President’s new residence.
He said, “Permit me to say that when we talk about the budget of the Presidency, there is some misrepresentation regarding provision for food stuffs, entertainment and all. Permit me to say that the State House is a huge bureaucracy on its own and it is a meeting point for huge arrays for critical stakeholders, both local and international.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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N500m for food ke? What's on the MENU? Petrol?
ReplyDeleteAAAH! N500M for food? The presidency must explain this to Nigerians...I still does not believe this until confirmed...what?
ReplyDeleteWhy would Mr Tunji Olaopa buy another set of computers, does that mean the computers bought last year got virus or has expired???..........hum
ReplyDeleteOUR LEADERS LET'S HAVE THE FEAR OF ALLAH OOOOO.
that is our president that cannot allocate substantial money for the welfare of the people yet engage in wasteful and reckless spending of money. these bunch of people do not have Nigerians in their priority list.
ReplyDeleteDo we submit another budget for weekly exco meetings feeding/entertainment or is it from this budget? Do we submit another budget to host visiting government officials with their entourage from other countries or is it from this same budget? when committees and advisers like the one headed by TY Danjuma visit the state house,is it from this same budget that they are taken care of ? Most of these meetings that last hours demands that participants are fed,is it from this budget that such is handled? how many of such meetings do we have in a year? These are some of the questions we should get answers to before we begin to criticise as usual. Has anybody bothered to find out how much previous administrations used to spend on this and compare it with the current figures while making provision for inflation? Habaa ! From what the permanent secretary explained,the money for computer was not released last year,so it is coming up again this year.Let us hope that after subsidy,there will be money left to do other things.I am sure that they couldnt buy the computers last year because subsidy payment took all the money.He equally explained that the furniture is meant for vice presidents new house. So What else are we shouting for ?
ReplyDelete@anonymous, I wonder why you've seen the truth and decided to go with lie, are you telling me now that Nigerians are to furnish the Vice President's home ? Of your answer is yes then I want you to tell me what they are doing with their salary then, and also what are they sacrificing if they include every little expense in allowance. You are probably related to these people directly or indirectly, that's why you'd say this. Our government should learn to sacrifice
ReplyDeleteThe best thing to do for these greedy leaders is to be pointing to them and kill them, if not this Nation will continue to wallow in the artificial poverty caused by these sect of useless leaders we have.
ReplyDeleteNa wao mr president, will they import the food from America or Canada, if he has the interest of the country, why didn't he reduce his budjet instead he increased fuel price, Patient jonathan, i wonder the kind of food u and that ur so called husband eat in a year for 5oo million, when he was a lecturer at UST does he spend upto 500 hundred thousand in a year for feeding?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous after Joseph i---U would have put your name,so that we know u as the agent or contractor of the state house.What u are telling us is that,this huge amount is normal & okay.U must be out of your mind.We don't care to know what previous govt spent on this,we are only care about this one we know.Fuel subsidy that jumped from N300b to N1.70t has not been explained.God will soon judge all of them,the money PDP governors shared for their election with the presidency & then reported as the money spent on fuel subsidy will soon be out.Look at ordinary Nigerians out there,living their lives without 3 squared meals.Can they feed themselves & their visitors from their salaries to show good examples?Until Nigeria has leaders that are ready to rule by example,that don't care to step on evil toes,that don't care to die in Aso rock,that's the time we will see changes.
ReplyDeletei say to Olaopa that it is all a cock and bull story. his defence is feeble and does not hold any ground . thank God for the subidy strike that is revealing all this financial recklessness in the state house.!!!what about other countries they visited taht OFFERED THEM ONLY COFFEE,TEA,WATER AND BISCUITS!!!!!!!THEY SHOULD WATCH THEIR BACK . HAVE CONSIDERATION FOR THE DOWN-TRODDEN MASSES OF THIS COUNRTY .OUR LEADERS ARE OUTRIGHTLY WICKED.
ReplyDeleteThe person who is suggesting that the vice president furnishes his official residence from his salary is not being realistic. Even company executives and senior civil servants in this same country of ours get such done for them by the company or establishment they work for. And you are saying he should use his salary. How much did our lawmakers collect for their furniture? I am not supporting waste,but i am saying that we should be rational and realistic in our arguements. If you are good with figures and budgetary issues,you will understand better.There are so much activities at the state house,both domestic and diplomatic. Lots of visits both courtesy and official. It is not like the money is for the President's Breakfast,lunch and dinner as some people are ignorantly insinuating. And when we argue and criticise,let us remember that we now know these things because this sincere President has allowed access to all these information by signing into law,the Freedom of information Bill. Others refused to do so. Please let us give him some credit.
ReplyDeleteif truth be told, GEJ and Co. are not frugal with national resources. agreed that budgets are made which support govt expenditure but what sorts of budgets are those? they are mere incremental and not zero-based or program based, which just keep bloating up year by year. if only the legislature would spend half as much time as they do on approving the budget, they would have helped matters.
ReplyDeleteBack to the point: there's no justification for frivolous spending of this sort! it's a shame that Apple Inc.(US) has $92m in cash (minus all other assets) and Nigeria cannot boast of half yet there's no plan to even save! it's a pity!!
Charity begins at home, a country that has leaders that are not considering the populace and how the improve the welfare of its citizens and the economy as a whole but only interested in buying and changing every year that runs into million and billion is heading to fail.
ReplyDeleteindeed the whole world knows that we are blessed but the poverty level had increase that many of us cry any time are issue come up on the international scene
Does this not call for our leaders to sit down to become judicious with the money that come in,
no all they want is how to waste and buy in order to have their share then cut and grab.
but when shall we see polices that will elevate the suffering of Nigerians and transform my country.
Cost of every thing going up due to removal of subsidies, yet they continue to spend frivolously.
The man olapade should tell us what happened to the former systems in the vice president,does it cut virus and must they run the project to millions .
this system we are running does not permit for accountability and restructure, i pray the lord we take us to the level where we can do it right and not be looking for ways to loot.
SUCH WASTEFUL EXPENDITURE SHOULD BE TRIM DOWN AND NECESSARY CHECK AND BALANCE SHOULD BE PUT IN PLACE.THERE IS A LOT OF DECEIT IN THAT PRESENTATION BY THE MAN.NA WA O FOR THIS PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT.
THEY BETTER BE FRUGAL WITH THE NATIONAL RESOURCES, PEOPLE ARE REALLY SUFFERING OUT THERE.
Does the food budget include the type of Abacha's apple? we will approve it if it include the likes of Abiola's tea! Why wont they expect hundreds of enthurage from other country when only madam goes about in abroad with about 32 enthourage lavishing tax payers hard earn money. God will jurdge you.
ReplyDeleteNow every eyes are opened. I swear the issue of petrol subsidy removal is not for our benefit but for the wide mouths that can never be shot down except by the likliness of the type of food Anonymous mentioned above. Chineke Baba God Make you rescue us from human Cancer that has no other food than draining national economy.I guess These people forgot to mention buying more guns and hancuffes for thieves while they themselves start serious pen robbery. Remember your last day and be sure to account for how many people have died of hunger or of trivial illness because you fail them. Shame! you wont be burried with any of both legally and illegally aquired wealth.
ReplyDeletetruth be told, what do other people spend? sure its not 11billion does jonathan recieve more visitors than obama or zuma or any other BRIC country, this is a culture of waste like him or love him WE MUST STOP WASTAGE
ReplyDeleteIndeed dey eat Gucci nd Posh made food...imagn nd compared dis 2 a lay man unda d bridge who feed les dan 70 dolar per day...i dnt nd an angel 2 xplain b4 i undstand d logics of a politician...who is dcivn who abeg?
ReplyDeleteHaba haba,why are you not fair to Nigerians.Imagine a situation where some people are outside there without the hope of what to eat,and a so acclaimed good leader spending such amount on food.Are you receiving deities as a visitor in the government house?Don't fool Nigerians with 25% reduction in your basic salary.What about other allawances?This is just like taking a cup of water from the ocean.It has no effect.This is not sacrifies, why not on your total emoluments.God will judge you all.
ReplyDelete