The Presidency has earmarked a whooping sum of N2,502,762,664 as expenditure on utilities, food, drugs, newspapers, magazines, general maintenance services and miscellaneous items at the State House, Abuja.
A peep into the Executive Allocations contained in the 2021 Appropriation Bill submitted to the National Assembly, showed that President Muhammadu Buhari and other members of the first family resident in the Presidential Villa would be spending the sum of N274,798,446 on electricity charges; N23,861,251 on telephone charges; N67,106,117 on internet access charges; N65,684,950 on water rates and N45,418,735 million on sewerage charges.
The State House would be consuming as much as N79,075,135 on office stationeries and computer accessories; N8,580,741 on books; N26,432,346 on newspapers while the sum of N3,511,109 will be used for the purchase of magazines and periodicals during the year.
Similarly, the State House has budgeted the sum of N28,322,295 for the purchase of Office Furniture and Fittings; N22,871,283 for the purchase of Library Books and Equipment and N60,943,751 for the purchase of Sporting and Gaming Equipment.
The budget also shows that the sum of N46,856,410 has been earmarked for printing of non-security documents and N22,353,517 will go for printing of security document. A further breakdown of the proposal showed that the Presidency plans to spend the sum of N36,787,354 on drugs and medical supplies; N245,143,963 on food stuffs and catering materials and another N11,793,200 on uniforms and other clothing.
The Presidency has also budgeted the sum of N416,251,581 for general maintenance services. Under this subhead, the maintenance of motor vehicles and transport equipment will gulp N165,072,123; maintenance of office furniture will cost N9,697,987; maintenance of office building and residential quarters has been allocated N119,861,276; maintenance of office and infotech equipment will guzzle N24,266, 462; maintenance of plants and generators will cost N5,285,747 while the sum of N92,067,986 has been set aside for other unspecified maintenance services. In addition, the sum of N132,199,558 has been earmarked for fuel and lubricants for motor vehicles, generators and cooking gas.
Although the President, Vice President and their families live in the State House built and maintained by the government, the sum of N66,669,965 has been set aside as cost of residential rent.
In the same vein, the sum of N996,908,251 has been budgeted for miscellaneous expenditure covering refreshment and meals, honorarium and sitting allowances, publicity and advertisements as well as medical expenses.
Other items captured under this omnibus heading include postages and courier services, welfare packages and sporting activities. The budget has also made provisions for local training at the cost of N56,931,037, just as the sum of N51,455,286 has been kept aside for legal services and financial consulting.
Under Capital Expenditure section, the State House will purchase assorted motor vehicles and spare parts at the cost of N988,722,581. This is captured under three different codes and subheads namely, Purchase of Motor Vehicles – N436,264,142; Phased Replacement of Vehicles and Spares – N436,264,142 and Purchase of Tyres for Bullet Proof Vehicles, Plain Cars, CCU Vehicles, Platform Trucks, Jeeps, Ambulances and other Utility/Operational Vehicles – N116,194,297.
It would be recalled that similar provisions were made for the purchase of vehicles in all previous annual budgets over the last five years. It could not be ascertained if the vehicles provided for in previous budgets were procured and put to use and what happens to them after the expiration of each budget cycle.
The Office of the President at State House is allocated N164.1 million as honorarium and sitting allowance in 2021 Budget.
Also, N41.2 million is to be expended on publicity and advertisements out of total expenditure allocation of N4.1 billion. The President’s Office recurrent cost for 2021 fiscal year is put at N2.7 billion. Local travel and transport will gulp N775.6 million while N1.6 billion is to be expended on international travel and transport by the President in 2021.
The sum of N25.6 million is available to the President for refreshment and meals, according to 2021 Budget breakdown provided by Budget Office. Similarly, Office of Vice President has total expenditure of N1,079,663.86 in the budget. Travels and transportation is allocated N801 million.
Of the amount, local travel and transport is allocated N283.9 million while N517 million is allocated for his foreign travels and transport. For the Vice-Present, his refreshment and meals will gulp N18.2 million, N20.2 million being honorarium and sitting allowance; publicity and advertisements N13.8 million; postages and courier services N1.6 million and N13.5 million for the purchase of photocopying machines.
To equip State House medical centre with drugs and medical supplies, the sum of N208.3 million is allocated to the clinic in 2021 budget while total expenditure of N331.3 million is allocated to State House (Lagos liaison office) in the budget. The Bureau of Pubic Enterprises (BPE) has total allocation of N1.8 billion in 2021. The sum of N38.7 million is to be expended on consulting and professional services; N62.7 million is to be expended on monitoring and evaluation and another N5.2 million on publicity and advertisements.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is allocated N29. 8 billion in 2021. The personnel cost is taking the larger chunk of the amount N24.4 billion. The agency’s salary is put at N9.8 billion, N14. 4 million as honorarium and sitting allowance and N230.7 million voted for plant/generator fuel.
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) is allocated N4.1 billion expenditure 2021. Personnel cost is N2.8 billion, training (both local and international) N176.4 million and security vote (including operation) N75 million.
