The State House, under the dispensation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has spent over N3.7 billion on the purchase and supply of vehicles and tyres, findings by Daily Trust on Saturday have revealed.
Investigation and data gathered from govspend, a portal documenting government expenditures, showed that the Presidential Villa made four separate payments on May 21 and 31, the week that marked Tinubu’s first year in office, to Laralek Ultimate Limited, and another payment to an unspecified beneficiary, all totaling N3,461,909,471.
The total allocation for the State House is N40.62 billion, with only N28.12 billion of the entire amount for capital expenditure, according to data released by BudgIT, a civil society organisation whose goal is promoting transparency and fostering citizens’ engagement for institutional reforms and equitable society.
Over the years, Nigeria has leveraged its borrowing prowess, with its external debt currently sitting at N127.67 trillion as of Q1 of 2024.
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However, critics have accused the Tinubu administration of “frivolous spending” despite numerous pleas to Nigeria’s citizens over the current hardship and harsh policies largely affecting the masses.
It could be recalled that there was a backlash the last time the president asked Nigerians to make sacrifices for the nation’s progress.
Recently, Tinubu, while addressing journalists after observing the Eid-el Kabir prayer at Dodan Barracks, Lagos, stressed the need for the people to follow the path of sacrifice in order to make the nation great.
The comment elicited numerous reactions from Nigerians, civil society organisations and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
