THE PRESIDENCY has planned to spend the sum of N4.6 billion on travels, computers and vehicles in 2020, detail of the proposed budget reveals.

The breakdown of the State House budget shows that President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo will spend N3.32 billion on foreign and local trips, tagged Travel and Transport (General) under the State House (President) and State House (Vice-President). For the President, N775.6 million will be expended on local travel and transport, while N1.75 billion will be spent on international travel and transport, totalling N2.5 billion to be spent by the president only.

Under the office of the Vice President, N283.9 million was earmarked for local transport and travel, while N517 million is planned to be spent on international travel and transport- a total of N801 million to be spent on local and foreign trips by the vice president.

The N3.32 billion for travels by the president and his vice is different from the N182 million allocation on travels (both local and international) for the State House headquarters.

In the 2019 Budget, a total of N1.3bn was allocated for the foreign and local trips of the president and the vice-president. While N1bn was allocated to the president, N301.03m was allocated to the vice-president.

Still, under the State House budget, the State House Medical Centre, State House Lagos Liaison Office, and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President – MDGs (OSSAP-MDGS) will all spend N32.4 million on both local and foreign travels in 2020.

On motor vehicles, the State House has earmarked over N800 million for spendings on motor vehicles. Specifically, the State House headquarters will spend N526.2 million on phased replacement of vehicles, spares and tyres in the presidential, CVU, security/police escort and State House operational fleets. This same item had allocation both in 2018 (907.1 million) and 2019 (N576.7 million) budgets.

Also in the State House headquarters budget, the sum of N91.68 million is allocated to be spent on the purchase of tyres for bulletproof vehicles, plain Toyota cars, CCU vehicles, platform trucks, land cruiser and Prado jeeps, Hilux, Peugeot 607, ambulances and other utility and operational vehicles. 2017, 2018, and 2019 budgets had allocations for this item also. In 2017, 94.57 million was allocated; 2018-N83.77 million was allocated, while N51.08 million was allocated in the 2019 budgets.

Another N266.8 million will be spent on the purchase of security and operational vehicles under the office of the Chief Security Officer to the President. In 2018, the same office had allocated the sum of N653.6 million for this purpose, which is tagged “NEW”. The same item was repeated and tagged “ONGOING” in the 2019 budget when N433.45 million was allocated to cater for the item.

A further breakdown also shows that the State House will spend about N214 million on computers. The line item for computers were tagged as “office stationeries/ computer consumables”, “computer software acquisition”, and “purchase of computers”.

The state headquarters will spend N112.5 million on office stationeries/ computer consumables and acquisition of computer software. For the office of the Vice President, about N78 million is earmarked to be spent also on office stationeries/ computer consumables and acquisition of computer software.

Away from office stationeries/ computer consumables, which will gulp over N500,000, the Office of the Chief of Staff to the president will also spend N1.3 million on the purchase of computers-specifically, “HP touch smart 310 PC”.

Offices of the chief security officer to the president, senior special assistant to the president on MDGs and the State House Lagos Liaison Office will all expend N21.45 million on purchase of computers and computer consumables.

Documents on capital performance for ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) obtained from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation reveals that of the N27.77 billion capital allocation to the presidency in 2018, N28.6 billion was released, N24.4 billion was utilised, representing about 85.35 per cent utilization. In 2017, N6.5 billion was allocated to the presidency as the aggregate capital allocation. A total of N4.08 billion was released and utilised.

It is to be noted that the proposed total capital allocation to the presidency in 2017 (6.5 billion) was approved by the national assembly. In 2018, N21.96 billion was proposed for capital expenditure, however, the amount was raised to N27.77 billion a difference of about N5.81 billion in the final budget approved by the national assembly. N16.25 billion was allocated for capital expenditure in the proposed 2019 budget, the national assembly approved N18.15 billion, raising it up by N1.9 billion.