National assembly: How we added N245bn to 2018 budget

June 22, 2018 3:37 pm

The national assembly on Friday listed 24 items under which it added N245,512,325,726 to the 2018 budget.

The legislators were reacting to President Muhammadu Buhari’s complaints about the budget after signing it into law on Wednesday.

He said the lawmakers added 6,403 projects of their own to the budget.

Abdulrazak Namdas, spokesman of the house of representatives, and Abdullahi Sabi (senate), have defended the action of the federal lawmakers.

“The following 24 additions, which were done to the 2018 Appropriations Bill, due to the increase in the benchmark price of oil were duly appropriated by the National Assembly after full consultations, and in many cases, requests by the Executive branch through the Ministry of Budget and National Planning,” they said.

They listed the “augmentation” to the budget as follows:

Augmentation to unity schools meal subsidy in Education Sector 3,701,587,104
Outstanding liability on exchange rate differential for 2015 & 2016 Bea ongoing remittances to 12 Bea countries (scholarship) 3,265,720,064
Rehabilitation of block C, D, G & H at the Headquarters and Lagos state office of Federal Ministry Of Industry, Trade & Investment 1,207,942,115
Construction of Kashimbilla/Gamovo multipurpose dam 2,000,000,000
Strengthening public health against LASSA fever/other outbreaks: procurement and installation of incinerators, procurement of personal protective equipment, ribavirin and laboratory reagents and training of health personnel, construction of isolation ward at university of Abuja teaching hospital, Gwagwalada 2,000,000,000
Fast Power Programme Accelerated Gas and Solar Power Generation 12,500,000,000
Expansion and reinforcement of infrastructure in 11 distribution companies to reduce stranded generation capacity 30,000,000,000
Alternative energy development fund 1,000,000,000
Completion of headquarters building (FMWA) 500,000,000
Construction of 3000 capacity maximum security prison in Abuja (Phase I) 6,031,862,972
Procurement of 3 x jf17 thunder aircraft 12,792,939,682
Security vote (including augmentation of shortfall in operational funds) for Nigerian Navy 3,000,000,000
Department of state security – pensions (including arrears) 6,318,326,710
Contributions to international Organisations 11,000,000,000
Contingency 2,800,000,000
Military operation: Lafiya dole & other operations of the armed forces 3,000,000,000
Subscription to shares in international Organisations 11,000,000,000
SDG special projects 38,000,000,000
Contingency (capital) 2,000,000,000
Promotion, recruitment & appointment for police service commission 5,393,947,080
Additional provision to some security agencies 10,000,000,000
Additional provision of 82b naira on critical federal roads e.g. rehabilitation of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano 10b naira, rehabilitation of Lagos-Badagry-Seme road 4b naira, rehabilitation/dualisation of Calabar-Itu-Ikot Ekpene-Aba-Owerri Road 7b 92,000,000,000
Additional 12b naira to new federal universities 12,000,000,000
National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) 4,000,000,000