The House of Representatives on Thursday yanked off the budgetary allocation of N5.09 billion for the purchase of a presidential yacht in the N2.176trn supplementary budget submitted to the lawmakers.
It is believed that the lawmakers’ action followed the public outcry that trailed the provision made for a presidential yacht amid the hardship Nigerians are facing following the removal of fuel subsidies and other policies by the current administration.
The Presidency has since defended the addition of a ‘presidential yacht’ in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill sent to the National Assembly.
Reacting to the outrage that trailed report of the item in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill, Special Adviser to the President of Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said it was indeed a budgetary request of the Navy through the Ministry of Defense and was only tagged presidential because of the special security fittings on it.
Details of the yatch
He noted that the yacht is an operational naval boat, with specialised security gadgets and requested in a budget submitted under past administration, adding that since the government is a continuum, all assets and liabilities of past administrations now belong to Tinubu‘s administration.
The Official reply
Onanuga’s full reply: ‘Following public reactions over the provision for what is termed presidential yacht and other line items in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation presented to the National Assembly, it is important to provide some clarifications.
‘First, we need to make clear that President Bola Tinubu’s administration respects the views of Nigerians on all matters of public concern.
:We thus consider it very imperative to clear any misconception and misunderstanding of the issues.
‘What was named as Presidential Yacht in the budget is an Operational Naval boat with specialized security gadgets, suitable for high profile operational inspection and not for the use of the President.
‘It is called presidential yacht by way of nomenclature because of the high level security features.
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‘The Naval boat was ordered by the navy under the previous administration. President Tinubu has consistently said that government is a continuum as he inherited both assets and liabilities of past administrations.
‘The payment request for the boat was part of the committed obligation submitted by the office of the Chief of Naval Staff to the Ministry of Defence.
‘The total of the submitted requests was in excess of N200 billion, out which N62 billion was approved by the President.
‘President Tinubu is focused on securing our country and territorial waters.
‘The Federal Government under his leadership is investing more resources to enhance greater economic output from our oil and gas, marine and blue economy.’
