In a recent interview on Arise Television’s Morning show, Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged N5 billion Presidential yacht purchase.
Senator Ndume clarified that while the presidential yacht had indeed been signed and delivered, the payment had not been made before public outrage ensued. He further noted that the Senate had subsequently included the necessary payment fee in the student loan budget.
Ndume said,
“We queried the amount budgeted for the yacht, but it was signed for a dollar rate, and the new rate isn’t favourable. The budget was predicated for about N435, and now it is over N800.
“The Navy also clarified that it is not a new budget. And even the House of Representatives moved the budget to the Student loan. The deal for the yacht has been agreed, signed, and delivered but not paid for.”
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On the issue of the N160 million allocation for Land Cruiser SUVs for each lawmaker in the National Assembly, Senator Ndume emphasized that the purchase of vehicles for official duties is not an unprecedented practice within the government. He also highlighted that the pricing of the vehicles was impacted by the fluctuating naira to dollar exchange rate.
According to him, these vehicles are essential for the smooth functioning of the lawmakers’ duties.
“The reason why we did not choose Nigerian-made cars is because they don’t manufacture their vehicles, but they assemble them.
“I prefer Nigerian-made products, but the Nigerian car companies are only buying the vehicle parts and assembling them here.”
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He reiterated that the SUVs were necessary due to the poor condition of most Nigerian roads, highlighting that these specific vehicles were crucial for facilitating effective oversight functions.
It is worth noting that a segment of the public expressed strong disapproval of certain items outlined in the 2023 supplementary budget proposal submitted by the President to the National Assembly for endorsement, notably the allocation of N5.095 billion for a presidential yacht.
In response, the Presidency clarified that the ‘Presidential Yacht’ mentioned in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill is not intended for President Bola Tinubu’s personal utilization. The statement further highlighted that the classification was assigned to the naval vessel due to its incorporation of high-level security attributes.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, elucidated:
“What was named as a presidential yacht in the budget is an operational Naval boat with specialised security gadgets suitable for high profile operational inspection and not for the use of the President.”
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