2013: Presidency to Spend N654m on Generators

While President Goodluck Jonathan and members of his team go about telling Nigerians that they are improving electricity supply in the country, the Presidency is billed to spend a whooping N654.02 million on generators in 2013.

Budget details reveal that the State House Quarters has a provision of

N60,664, 571 and N72,510,832 for ‘maintenance of plants/generators’ and ‘plant and generator fuel cost.’

Surprisingly, the proposed budget also provides for N26,639,586 for the same generator maintenance and N49,108,333 as fuel cost for power generators.

Another budgetary provision is also made for the purchase of a generating set at the sum of N60m and another N60m for what was described as “on-going projects.”

The budget also provides N34,024,985, for generator maintenance and N23,402,499 as cost of fuel next year.

Also, the BPE (which is under the Presidency) is to spend N12m and N2, 576,794m on fueling of generators and their maintenance respectively.

Among the organisations under the Presidency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the National Identity Management Commission have the highest allocation for power provision through generators.

Following the multiple budgetary figures for generators, the budget for fuelling generators for the entire government in 2013 could not be determined as at press time.

Foreign travel by the Presidency, on the other hand, is to cost N3.78bn in 2013.

The estimates reveal that the State House, office of the Vice-President as well as some agencies under the presidency are proposing to spend this amount.

This amount excludes what is being proposed for spending for the same purpose locally. According to the budget, the amount will be spent on “International Travel and Transport: Training & others.”

Also, the State House Quarters proposes to spend N149.9m on international travel and transport: Training.

Again, under the sub-head ‘International Travel and Transport: Others’ another N1.2bn is made available. Yet, under the sub-head, “Presidency State House, International Travel and Transport: Training and others,” the sum of N118m and N902.4m is proposed for spending.

Surprisingly, the office of the Vice President has a budget of N419m under the same sub-head.