By Ishaya Ibrahim
Despite a spiral inflation that has made basic foodstuff unaffordable to most Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu’s administration has announced plans to spend N5.095 billion on a presidential yacht.
The N5 billion the presidency budgeted for Yacht, which is a boat basically used for relaxation purposes, is nearly 2% of the total capital budget for the health sector.
Tinubu’s government also budgeted N1.5bn on cars for the First Lady’s office’, and another N5.8bn for cars for the president’s convoy and villa use.
The combined spending for the yachts and vehicles for the presidency stands at more than N12.3 billion. This is aside the N57 billion lawmakers will be spending on Prado Jeeps and Toyota Land Cruisers.
Analysts believe that these funds to be spent on a Yacht and vehicles, which stands at about N70 billion, could better address critical needs in the health and education sectors, especially the primary health care centres that are in a sorry state.
Recall that the Nigerian government only budgeted N404 billion in 2023 to address infrastructure upgrades in the ministry of health, all federal medical centres, teaching hospitals, research centres, and other departments and agencies of the federal ministry of health.
For one of Tinubu’s supporters, Seyi Law, the attempt to even rationalise the procurement of the Yacht is insensitive.
He said via his X handle: “I am absolutely not in support of the procurement of the presidential yacht. It is quite insensitive to the plight of Nigerians at this moment to even rationalise it. I call on the president, @officialABAT, to once again prove to Nigerians that he listens. Thank you, your Excellency.”
