Buhari votes N14.8b for running the Villa as cutting edge operation
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Up to N14.8 billion is earmarked in Muhammadu Buhari’s last budget for the internet, telephone calls, text messages, stationery, and other equipment vital to running Aso Rock as a cutting edge operation catering to a population of 206 million.
The 2023 budget contains N67.1 million for Villa internet access, stationery and computer consumables (N79 million), electricity charges (N35.9 million), telephone charges (N306.2 million), and water rates (N6 million, N40.6 million).
Other items include personnel costs (N1.6 billion), newspapers (N26.4 million), and books (N8.5 million).
Buhari on 7 October presented to a joint session of the National Assembly (NASS) a federal budget of N20.51 trillion for the 2023 fiscal year.
The budget is about N750 billion more than N19.76 trillion proposed in the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper.
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Other budget items
A day before the budget presentation, the House of Representatives passed the 2023–2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, which Buhari had earlier presented to the NASS, per The PUNCH.
The passage followed the consideration of the report of the Committee on Finance.
The House approved an aggregate federal expenditure of N19.76 trillion, broken down as follows:
- Recurrent expenditure (non-debt) – N8.53 trillion
- Personnel costs (Ministries, Departments, Agencies) – N827.8 billion
- Capital expenditure (exclusive of transfers) – N3.96 trillion
- Special intervention (recurrent) – N350 billion
- Special intervention (capital) – N7 billion
Buhari disclosed during his presentation the 2023 budget is a 15.37 per cent increase on 2022 figures, tagging it the Budget of Fiscal Sustainability and Transition that will tackle critical issues and lay a solid foundation for the incoming administration.
He said fuel subsidy is not sustainable and should end in 2023.
He reiterated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 3.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2022 (Q1 2022) but stressed the government must continue to work for higher growth so Nigerians will feel the impact.