Despite Low Revenue, Buhari Proposes Highest Amount For Presidential Villa Since Assuming Office

Despite Nigeria’s shrinking revenue and lean savings, President Muhammadu Buhari has proposed the highest spending plan for the State House in the last six years, details of the proposed 2022 budget have shown.

The budgetary proposals for the State House have gone up by over 140 per cent since Mr Buhari assumed office in 2015, a Premium Times’ analysis has shown.

According to details of the 2022 budget proposal, the government proposes to spend N40.2 billion on the State House. The 2022 allocation covers the State House headquarters, the president’s office and the office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

It also covers the budgets of the State House medical centre, the offices of the chief of staff and chief security officer and the Lagos liaison office.

The new figure is 142.7 per cent higher than the N16.56 billion appropriation in the 2016 budget, Mr Buhari’s first full budgetary year.

In 2021, Mr Buhari approved N17.3 billion to run the State House, Nigeria’s seat of power, an increase from the N14.6 billion the administrative centre had in 2020.

The president earmarked N13.7 billion in 2019; N15.5 billion was allocated in 2018; in 2017, N13.6 billion was allocated; and N16.6 billion in 2016.

The proposed 2022 budget figure for the State House is higher than what was earmarked in the latter years of Goodluck Jonathan, Mr Buhari’s predecessor. In 2014, Mr Jonathan approved N12.2 billion for the State House and N6.6 billion in 2015.

-Premium Times