By Halimah Olamide
President Bola Tinubu’s proposal to buy a yacht for a sum of N5bn is causing outrage among Nigerians. The hint for the proposal is contained in the supplimentary appropriation which the President has forwarded to the National Assembly for approval.
While the presidential yacht will cost N5bn, loans to students will also cost a sum of N5.5bn. The president has sent to the lawmakers a total of N2.17trillion as supplimentary budget which also include a sum of N12.5bn to be spent on the presidential fleet.
The budget also showed N4 billion for the renovation of the residential quarters of the president, and N2.5 billion for the renovation of the Vice President’s residence.
The government also plans to spend another N2.9 billion on Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) for the Presidential Villa, and another N2.9 billion to replace operational vehicles for the presidency.
The government also plans to spend N1.5 billion on vehicles for the Office of First Lady, which doesn’t exist under the country’s law. The breakdown has caused condemnations across the country with many discussing this as an instance of extravagance. Omoyele Sowore, an activist and defeated presidential candidate, took to his X handle on Wednesday to condemn the proposed spendings.
He wrote, “The @officialABAT dynasty of thieves! They want to buy a “Presidential Yacht” for N5billion for a man who’s never been to a stream before, they want to renovate a Presidential Lodge in Lagos for N4b for a man who just built a mansion in Lagos that stretches from Bourdillon to Queens Drive in Ikoyi! Reason the joker was grandstanding about his son, Seyi sneaking into FEC meetings just to fool the unwary.” The proposal has precipitated a flurry of other comments.
Many are arguing that the proposal shows lack of sensitivity at a time that the government has demanding sacrifice from Nigerians over the poor economic conditions of the country.