The offices of three principal functionaries of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – the President, the Vice-President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation – will spend N1.59bn on welfare packages in 2013.
While Goodluck Jonathan is currently the president, Namadi Sambo is the VP. The office of the SGF is occupied by Anyim Pius Anyim.
Details of the budget obtained by our correspondents in Abuja on Friday showed that the three offices would spend N1.59bn on the undefined item tagged welfare packages.
The SGF office will spend the lion share of N1.07bn; the President’s office will spend N355.9m, while the VP’s office will spend N160.83m.
As at press time, it was not certain whether the welfare package stands for miscellaneous expenses such as transportation of visitors to government officials.
The 2013 budget shows that Nigeria will spend slightly less than N1bn (precisely N990.24m) in feeding Jonathan and Sambo in 2013.
The Nigeria Police will spend N110m on the feeding of dogs in the 2013 financial year.
The breakdown on the cost of feeding in the Presidency shows that Jonathan will spend on N406, 738,969 on foodstuffs and catering materials next year.
The gas for cooking the President’s food will cost N13, 420,750, while the refreshment and meals in the State House will cost the nation N327, 154,931. Similar expenses will be made in the VP’s office.
Foodstuffs and catering materials for the VP will cost the nation N112, 500,000 in 2013, while the gas for cooking the food will cost N7, 020,750. Refreshment and meals will cost N123, 402,499 for the VP’s office in 2013.
These expenditure items bring the total cost for feeding in the Presidential Villa to N990.24m for the 2013 fiscal year.
The provision for feeding in the Presidency in 2013 is only N2.33m shy of the amount which the government is spending on foodstuff and refreshment in the Presidential Villa in the current budget year.
-PUNCH
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