•Buhari, 28 govs to spend N12.4 trn in 2017
•Capital expenditures get N5.24 trn, Recurrent N7.155 trn
By Soni Daniel, Emma Ujah & Clifford Ndujihe
ABUJA — TO make the country peaceful and ensure unhindered oil production, the Federal Government has set aside the sum of N29 billion for countering insurgency, militancy and other forms of threat to national peace in its 2017 budget.
Under the outlay captured in the budget of the Defence Headquarters and the Nigerian Air Force, the Federal Government plans to acquire new platforms for counter-air, counter-surface and air operations as well as materials for strategic effect and air support operations in Nigeria.
Similarly, the government is to spend additional N6.429 billion for operational logistics while it is to reconfigure two Augusta AW101 Helicopters for military operations at the cost of N620 million within the year.
The figure emerged as the Presidency sets aside the sum of N145,869,150 for the old State House in Lagos popularly known as Dodan Barracks even though the seat of government has moved to Abuja.
According to the budget documents obtained by Vanguard, the money has been set aside for the “Annual Routine Maintenance of Mechanical/Electrical installations, Building/Civil and Environmental Services within the State House Lagos facilities and the Vice President’s Guest House, Ikoyi.
In addition, the State House plans to spend the sum of N8.5 million on what it calls “anti-corruption” an assignment best suited for the EFCC or the ICPC and another N29.1 million on Sports, something that seems to be under the purview of the Sports Ministry.
In the same vein, the Chief Economic Adviser to the President is to spend the sum of N60 million for his “Evidence -based research on all aspects of the Nigerian economy that will help Mr. President in formulating strategies and policies for the Nigerian economy.”
With such provision, it is not clear what the functions of the ministries of Budget and National Planning and the Budget and Finance have not been usurped or such functions duplicated in the circumstance.
The Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA has also set aside a princely sum of N750 million to build three worship centres as one of its projects for the coming year.
Under the plan, the NDA will build a mosque, a church and another church for the protestant community in its domain.
FG, 28 states to spend N12.399 trn
Meanwhile, to improve on the fortunes of recession-ravaged citizenry and steer Nigeria’s economy out of recession, the Federal Government and 28 state governments have proposed a hefty N12.398 trillion prosperity budget for next year.
Of the sum, a total of N5.24 trillion has been allocated to capital expenditure while recurrent expenditure will gulp N7.155 trillion
Most of the state governments have allocated more funds to capital expenditure that will constitute the building blocks for the flight out of recession. The Federal Government accounts for N5.058 trillion of the recurrent expenditure proposal.
States that have presented their 2017 budget proposals include Kaduna, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Taraba, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Delta, Kano, Anambra, Cross River, Ogun, Zamfara, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
The rest are Bayelsa, Edo, Osun, Bauchi, Katsina, Jigawa, Benue, Niger, Plateau, Borno, Yobe and Gombe.
States that are yet to present their budgets are Rivers, Ondo, Abia, Oyo, Kwara, Adamawa, Kebbi and Sokoto.
Among states that have made estimates for 2017, only Plateau, Yobe, Gombe, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Delta, Enugu, Bayelsa and Osun allocated more funds to recurrent expenditures.
Indeed, the proposals are dressed in positive and fanciful cloaks to capture the ambitious plans of the governments. Such tags include the Federal Government’s Budget of Recovery and Growth; Ekiti’s Budget of Higher Heights, and Borno’s Budget of Consolidation, Restoration and Rebirth.
The rest include: Budget of New Direction (Kogi),
Budget of Economic Recovery and Inclusive Growth (Anambra), Budget of Economic Recovery and Inclusive Development (Enugu) and Budget of Economic Diversification and Self-sufficiency (Jigawa).
FG earmarks N7.8bn for Apapa-Oshodi Expressway rehab, others
The President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration appears set to ease traffic gridlock in Lagos by allocating the sum of N7.833 billion for rehabilitation of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos, (Sections 1 & 2), in the 2017 budget.
The emergency rehabilitation /maintenance of the 3rdMainland Bridge in Lagos, Part 1 with contract number 6238 will also receive a priority attention in the new year, as the Federal Government has budgeted N5.355 billion for it.
lThe Third Mainland Bridge contract had received the mandatory Bureau of Public Procurement’s “No Objection Certificate in the course of the 2016 fiscal year but the contractors could not be mobilised to site due to paucity of funds, according to details of the budget document.
lThe Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was allocated N31.5 billion for its on-going rehabilitation and expansion.
lThe Ijora-Apapa Bridge by Leventis was also allocated N892.6 million.
lDualisation of Ibadan- Abeokuta Road was allocated N 669. 397 million; while the completion of rehabilitation of Ogbomoso-Oko-Odogbo Road was allocated N500 million.
lOther large projects included the reconstruction of AbaK-Ekparakwa-Ete-Ikot-Abasi Highway which was allocated N1 billion.
lThe rehabilitation of Calabar-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene-Aba-Owerri Road will gulp N401. 6 million. Similarly the rehabilitation of Umuahia-Ikot-Ekpene Road phase I was allocated another N 446.264 million.
lEmergency reinstatement of gully erosion sites along Benin-Okebe Rioad, N122.226 million; while the completion of Auchi Poly- Ekperie-Uzea-Ohe got gulp N446 .3 million.
lThe Design and construction of Benin/Adumagbae- Egba-Akure Road was allocated N446.264 million.
lThe dualisation of the Abuja-Lokoja Road which is in its 10th year has been allocated the sum of N9 billion. Parts of the dualised road are already failing even before the completion of the project.
lSimilarly, N2.8 billion was allocated for the dualisation of the Suleja-Minna Road in Niger state; while the construction of the Agaie-Katcha-Barro Road, in Niger State was allocated N900 million.
lRehabilitation of Otukpo-Oweto Road, N 300 million.
lTotal rehabilitation of Ajaokuta-Itobe bridge N446.264 million.
lRe-alignment and construction of dangerous curves along Akwanga-Lafia Road in Nassarawa State, N128. 237 million.
lRehabilitation of Kastina-Ala Bridge in Banue State was allocated N 312.4 million.
lThe construction and rehabilitation of roads, culverts, drains—N216. 611 million; lRehabilitation of Funtua-Guau-Sokoto Road was allocated N400 million; while Reconstruction of Sumaila- Falali-Birnin-Bajo Border Road in Bauchi would take N1.5 billion.
lThe Bridge at KM 131.55 at Gamboru along Maiduguri-Gamaboru-Dikwa Bridge, which was destroyed by Boko Haram was allocated N383.6 million.
lA separate allocation of N700 million was made for the Maiduguri –Dikwa-Gamboru Road for the rehabilitation of section II (Dikwa-Gamboru, Borno State.
lThe sum of N267.8 million was allocated for the rehabilitation of Kudzum Bridge along Gombi-Mararaba-Mubi-Gwoza Road, in Adamawa State; while the Bauchi –Tafawa Balewa Road rehabilitation, got N150 million.
lEmergency reinstatement of collapsed section of Wukari Mutum Biu Road, in Taraba State was allocated N350 million; Potiskum-Udubo-Gamawa-Ganayin Road in Yobe State, N174 756 million; and the Construction of Takum-Wukari road Section II (Chachangi Bridge)714. 023 million
lThe Katarko Bridge at KM 20 along Damaturu Gamboru Road, in Yobe which would be restored at N267.8 million.
lReinstatement of Washouts along Onitsha-Enugu road , N 336. 637 million. In Abuja, the Construction of a Pedestrian Bridge at Kugbo along Keffi-Abuja, Expressway was allocated N89.252 million. Kugbo has witnessed the killing of many pedestrians trying to cross the extremely busy road.
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