By Fawaz Adebisi
The federal government has proposed a staggering N2.17 trillion supplementary budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which includes some extravagant and questionable allocations for the State House and the office of the first lady.
According to the budget details, President Bola Tinubu plans to spend N28 billion on the needs of the State House, which is more than the combined budget of the ministries of health, education and agriculture.
The budget breakdown shows that N2.9 billion will be spent on the purchase of SUV vehicles, N4 billion on the renovation of residential quarters for the president and Aguda house, N4 billion on the construction of an office complex within the State House, and N2.5 billion on computerisation and digitalisation of the State House.
The budget also allocates N1.5 billion for the purchase of official vehicles for the office of the first lady, which is more than the budget of the ministry of women affairs.
The budget also includes N3 billion for the renovation of official quarters of vice-president in Lagos, and N3 billion for the acquisition, renovation and rehabilitation of two EFCC forfeited quarters as State House at Mabushi and Guzape.
The supplementary budget has sparked outrage among some Nigerians who have condemned the government for wasting public funds on non-essential items while neglecting the pressing needs of the masses.
Some analysts have also accused the government of using the budget as a slush fund for political patronage ahead of the 2024 general elections.
