The whooping amount earmarked for the State House as 2024 budget has been attributed to the current economic situation in the country by the Permanent Secretary, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi.
The Presidency plans to spend about N61.29 billion on renovating and constructing buildings as well as N6.82 billion on buying vehicles, according to the proposed 2024 budget.
It also earmarked the sum of N460,217,071 for the State House’s “Materials and Supplies” in the 2024 Appropriation Bill.
Out of the sum, foodstuffs and catering materials will gulp N253,277,638
Nigerians have been raising issues over high budgetary allocation to the State House by the renewed hope government of President Bola Tinubu in the midst of excruciating hardship being faced by Nigerians.
Engr. Adebiyi said the exchange rate of the naira against the Dollar, obselete equipments, cost of vehicles and engagement of more hands were responsible for the exorbitant budget for the sea of power.
While defending the 2024 budget proposals of the State House before the Senate Committee on Special Duties, Engr. Adebiyi said as a matter of reality, there are many things that affected the budget.
He said one of the factors is the exchange rate on some of the purchases. Second is as part of the drive of President Bola Tinubu “in ensuring service delivery, accountability and fast racking infrastructural development, the number of persons appointed appears high. He selected very competent hands from various sectors to join his team.
Continuing he said, apart from ministers who have targets to meet, he appointed SSAs to serve as watchdogs to ensure compliance with standing instructions. This, he said was part of what makes the cost of their budget to be high.
In addition to that, the Permanent Secretary said the cost of fuel has consequential effect on cost of operations in the State House.
⁰“Not only that, age of the vehiclesò has serious impact. Any new vehicle you buy, the first five years you will not do any repairs, only routine maintenance, but as it gets old the cost of maintenance increases.
On the zero performance of capital expenditure for 2023 a few weeks to the end of the financial year, the senators were not convinced by Engr. Adebiyi’s explanation that most of the projects have been executed and that it is when they are paid for that it can be recorded as completed.
He said, for example, the procurement process for some items started in July and some of the vehicles have been supplied, but until payments are made before they are said to be executed.
The committee also wondered why the State House Clinic can not meet the health needs of the presidency, not to talk of serving other citizens as done in other countries, even in Africa.