2016 Budget: APC expresses disappointment, faults Buhari.

  
President Muhammadu Buhari has been criticized by leaders of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, following what they described as “padded” budgetary figures in the 2016 Appropriation bill of N6.08 trillion, presented to the joint session of the National Assembly.

Adding that the budget proposal lacked any traits of change as it had similarities with past governments.
This disappointment was expressed through an Editorial titled “Curious Figures” published 3rd January, 2016 in the Nation Newspaper (official Megaphone of the APC) owned by the leader of the party, Bola Tinubu.
This came on the heel of mounting criticism that greeted the budget break down which the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described as a fraud.
The editorial reads in part:
“Details of the 2016 budget proposal reflect astonishing similarities with the immediate past, prompting questions about the meaning of change. To start with, the interest in acquiring a fleet of new high-end luxury cars for the Presidency bespeaks flawed prioritisation.
“A vote of N3.6b for BMW saloon cars for principal officers is certainly on the high side, considering that the cars are not essential for good governance. Furthermore, the number ‎of the car is unspecified, leaving room for possible corruption-related manipulation.
“Also, the mention of BMW saloon vehicles and their cost brings to mind the matter of a former Aviation Minister in the Goodluck Jonathan administration, Stella Oduah, who was involved in a questionable procurement of two bullet-proof BMW cars at $800,000 each during her tenure.
“The Buhari government cannot afford such a stain at this time when it is trying to get the public to appreciate its claim that it met a vastly depleted treasury. The point is that it is a contradiction to say the country is in a mess economically, and yet go on to purchase expensive vehicles whose purpose could as well be served by less costly ones.
“While we appreciate the need for befitting vehicles for the Presidency, the reality is that BMW cars are not exactly realistic, given an economy struggling with the basics.
“Other expenditures on the Presidency’s vehicles include N39.8m for the purchase of an unspecified number of 200 amps, 100 amps and 60 amps Mercedes Benz batteries for bulletproof vehicles. Also, N30m is to be expended on the purchase of tool boxes, car jacks, and diagnostic machines for the Presidency’s bulletproof cars. The purchase of C-Caution triangles, fire-extinguishers and cables is to ‎cost N27m.

“It is unclear how the Presidency arrived at these figures, but they are unsettling reminders of the Jonathan presidential era when public expenditures seemed to be padded, and were actually inflated to enrich private pockets. We hope that is not the case in this new political dispensation.
“It would appear that public criticism of the high frequency of President Buhari’s international travels since he took office has not been effective enough to cause a review. As against the 2015 N24.4b allocation, which was used by Buhari and his predecessor, the Presidency voted N39b for local and international travels and transportation in the 2016 budget.
“This suggests more foreign travels by Buhari when he is expected to fly less and stay on the ground to address the country’s failure to realise its potential. Equally odd is the N362m allocation for Wildlife Conservation in 2016, in place of the N24. 6m voted for the same category last year, including the purchase of exotic animals. Ironically, the difference in the figures makes Jonathan’s government look saintly, quite apart from the dubious category which this particular allocation is meant to serve.

“Other puzzling figures include: general renovation of the Guest House (N387m); complete furnishing of the Guest House (N45m); purchase of computers (N27.5m) and construction and provision of recreational facilities (N764m). It may be asked: What are the recreational facilities missing at the Presidency?
“The Buhari administration must not give the false impression that another government did not exist before it. Does it mean that the Jonathan administration, with all its warts, left nothing useful, and everything has to be renewed to make the new government work as expected?
“As far as government is considered a continuum, it is expected that an administration which is out to correct mismanagement of public funds would not conduct itself in a way that suggests it may not be substantially different after all.