President Bola Tinubu has been characterised by Atiku Bagudu, the minister of budget and economic planning, as a modest man who leads a simple life.
During the three-day Cabinet Retreat that concluded on Friday at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, she said,
Bagudu expressed regret for the issue surrounding the President’s yacht purchase and emphasised that it was not meant for personal use.
“Unfortunately, the controversy that arose from the Navy’s misrepresentation of the ship has caused controversy. However, if a budget of N2.2 trillion, 95% of which is acceptable, is it not President Tinubu’s fault?” he said.
He claimed that since the President “is happy with all he has achieved in life, personal comfort does not matter to him,” he has no need of the opulent yacht that has been suggested.
He lived in an Abuja flat with three bedrooms prior to being elected president. He said, “He leads a modest, humble life.
Bagudu emphasised the significance of these monies in boosting national security while defending the budget’s large commitment to defence and security.
He claims, “I mentioned three things in my contribution yesterday during the panel discussion. First, President Bola Tinubu stressed the importance of addressing security throughout the campaign on multiple occasions. It should come as no surprise that the defence industry receives 30% of the additional funding.
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Additionally, he has discussed the necessity of upholding commitments and helping the weaker members of society; as such, 30% of the supplemental budget is allocated to palliative care.
N200bn in cash rewards and N400bn in cash transfers. In the same way, infrastructure accounts for roughly 25% of the additional funding. There you have it, these three regions account for nearly 85% of the total.
Expert studies, he said, have demonstrated that “they have a plan and they stick to your plan” is the primary distinction between nations that experience progress and those that do not.
Two items in particular in the supplemental budget for 2023 have drawn criticism: the Navy’s proposal for a presidential boat and the more than N6 billion allotted for State House vehicles.
On Thursday, the Presidency made it clear that President Tinubu was not using the equipment for the Nigerian Navy for personal use.
It made the case that if the budget office provided a more thorough description of the goods, the public criticism directed against President Tinubu over items with silly names (like Presidential Yacht) in the 2023 supplemental appropriation could be averted.
“Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, should be able to explain to the public why such expenditure should be accommodated now, considering the country’s economic situation,” Ajayi stated in a post on his Facebook page on Thursday.
Ajayi reasoned that the “very simplistic way some of the line items are described by civil servants who prepare the budget” is the only reason Nigeria’s budgeting system has come under scrutiny from the public.
