The Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has denied stories making the rounds on social media that a substantial amount was allocated for the renovation of his residence in the 2024 Appropriation Bill.
In a post via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Gbajabiamila said there was no provision in the 2024 Appropriation Bill for the renovation of his residence, adding that he lives in his private apartment.
“I have seen social media commentary regarding the 2024 Appropriation Bill, particularly the provisions under the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President. Owing to the erroneous nature of these reports, it has become necessary to clarify that there is no provision in the 2024 Appropriation Bill for the renovation of any residence for the Chief of Staff to the President. I live in my private residence.” the statement partly reads
Gbajabiamila stated the amount quoted was for renovating the Presidential Quarters in Dodan Barracks and the Vice President’s Lodge in Lagos.
“The sums mischievously quoted by online bloggers and fake news merchants are for renovating the Presidential Quarters in Dodan Barracks and the Vice President’s Lodge in Lagos, to overhaul the information management and communications facilities in the Presidency to meet modern standards, and to provide vehicles for the staff of the Presidency. The sums proposed for these projects are clearly stated in the budget proposal and bear no resemblance to the deceptive online commentary.”
“This administration welcomes and encourages scrutiny of government expenditure; this is why the budget proposal is publicly available. However, healthy public debate about government actions requires us to be responsible with our utterances and engage based on facts rather than insinuations and falsehoods.” Gbajabiamila stated.
Nigerians, especially on social media, have raised eyebrows following claims that N10bn was set aside for the renovation of the Chief of Staff residence and that N10.1bn was also budgeted for his computer software.
