The Federal Government spent around N701 million in three months to fund Remi Tinubu’s foreign trips to five countries, according to Saturday PUNCH.
In 2023, the Federal Government allocated N1.5 billion for vehicle procurement for the First Lady’s Office, as outlined in the N2.1 trillion supplementary budget approved by the National Assembly.
A breakdown of the budget shows the federal government planned to spend N2.9bn on sport utility vehicles for the Presidential Villa and another N2.9bn to replace operational vehicles for the Presidency.
Ali Ndume, former Chief Whip of the Senate, said that the N1.5 billion allotted for automobiles was for the Presidency, not the First Lady’s office.
However, checks by our correspondent using GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses federal government spending, revealed that the government paid out N700,707,532 over three months for the First Lady’s foreign trips to five countries, including two African nations.
On November 17, 2023, the government released N77,659,888 from the State House headquarters transit account for the purchase of foreign exchange ($94,314) for the First Lady’s visit to the United States.
On February 24, 2024, the government paid N149,794,284 through the State House headquarters transit account for the purchase of foreign exchange ($152,831) for the First Lady’s trip to France on January 4, 2024.
On March 15, 2024, the government paid N202,386,198 through the State House account to purchase foreign exchange ($126,834) for the First Lady’s travel to Mozambique that month.
On the same day, the government spent N144,571,785 ($96,118) to purchase foreign exchange for the First Lady’s travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 9, 2024.
The government used the same State House account to pay N126,295,377 ($83,967) for the First Lady’s travel to London that month.
Furthermore, the government spent a total of N314,231,472 on the First Lady’s six projects in four months.
On May 24, 2024, Rock of Ages Total Events Centre Ltd was awarded N131,921,786 for the full-scale decoration of State House events for the First Lady’s programs for women, youth, and children.
On May 29, 2024, the State House paid Makeway Nigeria Limited N107,630,000 for multimedia and related services provided during the First Lady’s activities for women, youth, and children.
The government has spent a total of N1,014,939,004 on the First Lady’s tours and programs over the course of seven months.
The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership responded, saying it was inappropriate to spend so much money on the First Lady’s office, which is not recognised by the constitution.
Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Debo Adeniran, the Executive Director of CACOL, said the complacency of the National Assembly has criminally empowered the executive to spend the national treasury on frivolities, and the only way Nigerians can stop the ugly trend is to consistently speak out against it.
He said, “It is more than profligacy. It is actually a misappropriation of funds because the office of the First Lady doesn’t exist in our constitution and is not supposed to be appropriated for. So, every appropriation that is made for that office is illegal.
“It is just because our National Assembly is complacent. They are not performing their oversight functions the way they should.
“Otherwise, everybody who dips his or her hand into the national coffers to fund any project that is not in accordance with the dictates of our constitution has committed an offence. If it is elected government personnel, it is an impeachable offence. So, it is out of place for such a humongous amount.”
He stated that the government’s wasteful spending has given the people little reason to believe the frequent promises to raise them out of their current predicament.
“Nigerians cannot reason with the government because they (the government) have not set their priorities right. They spend on frivolities rather than on things that will improve the lives of the people.
“So, no matter how genuine the government’s intention is in redeeming the economy, they are not showing us those signals as of now.
“Nigerians should begin to agitate in the right direction, and constitutionality must be a sine qua non in everything the government does,” he added.
In response, Eze Onyekper, Director of the Centre for Social Justice, stated that there is no law in the country that supports the First Lady’s office, and it is completely unconstitutional for the Federal Government to use scarce national resources for any activity related to the position.
He said, “The first question you should ask is whether the money is provided in the budget and whether it is proper to make provisions for a purported office that is not recognised in the constitution or any law of Nigeria.
“I am not aware of any constitutional provision creating the office of the First Lady, nor am I aware of any law creating the office.
“So, what they are doing is clearly illegal. It is an abuse of office, especially if it is funded from the public treasury, unless she brings the money from her private purse. But if it is from taxpayers’ money, it is an abuse of office.”
