John Nwokocha
More reactions have continued to pour in following the recent disclosure of the whooping N21.22 billion budget for the office of the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, for the 2024 fiscal year expenditures.
Nigerians expressed shock and outrage as more facts emerged weekend, detailing that the figure represents 3997 per cent increase from the 2023 budget for the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.
According to Statisense, an independent data analysis body concerned with transparency and accountability in governments’ expenditure and transactions, budgets for the office of the Chief of Staff to the President for the last five years shows that in 2020; N24.35 million was budgeted, 2021; N76.55 million, 2022; 526.47 million, and 2023; 517.95 million. The whooping sum of N21.22 billion compared to previous budgets points to an overblown budget.
Records from the Budget Office of the Federation also corroborated Statisense’s findings.
Africa Health Report gathered Monday, while speaking with a cross section of Nigerians that it is a ridiculous jump that could not be justified, particularly as the country is facing tough economic challenges. “At a time when the country is going through hard times, we expect the leaders to cut down their expenditures to demonstrate that they feel the pains of the masses”, a respondent said.
Another respondent who spoke to Africa Health Report in Abuja, said he was not dismayed at the revelation. He added that Nigerian political leaders are deceitful. “Only God can save the poor masses”, he prayed.
By this exposure, Statisense provided a clue to padding of the country’s appropriation bills, some angry verified X (Twitter) users have said. Almost immediately after the disclosure, over 200 reactions reportedly trailed it, Africa Health Report learnt. Noted an X user, it is apparently a monumental leap from the past allocations.
But this comes only few weeks after the drama over an alleged padding of the 2024 budget.
Africa Health Report recalls that Senator Abdul Amed Ningi, representing Bauchi Central had stated that the Tinubu-led government was operating two versions of the 2024 budget. The embattled senator, who was suspended for daring to expose the government’s secrets over budget padding, maintained that the budget being operated by President Tinubu was entirely different from the one passed by the senate, thus causing much confusion. Ningi, former chairman of Northern Senators Forum was slammed with a three-month suspension.
The dust raised by his suspension has yet to settle, Africa Health Report can confirm.
But on December 6, 3023, Gbajabiamila in his X account, wrote; “I have seen social media commentary regarding the 2024 Appropriation Bill, particularly the provisions under the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President. Owing to the enormous nature of these reports, it has become necessary to clarify that there is no provision in the 2024 Appropriation Bill for the renovation of any residence for the Chief of Staff to the President. I live in my private residence.
“The sums mischievously quoted by online bloggers and fake news merchants are for renovating the Presidential Quarters in Dodan Barracks and the Vice President’s Lodge in Lagos, to overhaul the information management and communications facilities in the Presidency to meet modern standards and to provide vehicles for the staff of the Presidency. The sums proposed for these projects are clearly stated in the budget proposal and bear no resemblance to the online commentary.
“This administration welcomes and encourages scrutiny of government expenditure; this is why the budget proposal is publicly available. However, healthy public debate about government actions requires us to be responsible with our utterances and engage based on facts rather than insinuations and falsehoods,” he said.
