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Obasanjo, Jonathan, others to get N2.3bn benefits in 2019

Published

6 years ago

January 3, 2019

Former Nigerian leaders including ex -Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo , Goodluck Jonathan and their Chiefs of Staff are to receive N 2 . 3 bn as benefits in 2019 .The sum of N 4 . 5 bn was also proposed in the 2019 budget as severance benefits for retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries while former heads of government agencies and parastatals would receive N 1 bn as severance benefits .

This is contained in the budget document recently submitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari .

The Federal Government also proposed N 3 bn for outsourced services and N 5 bn for ‘ margin for increased in costs . ’

Findings also showed that N 65 bn was budgeted for re -integration of transformed ex -militants while contingency got N 15 . 8 bn .

The counter – insurgency operations in the North -East , Operation Lafiya Dole and other military operations were expected to gulp N 75 bn .

The Federal Government allocated N 20 bn for university revitalization and another N 20 bn for additional support to universities .

The sum of N 160 bn was voted for public service wage adjustment for ministries , departments and agencies including arrears of promotion and salary increases and severance benefits .

Another N 22 . 7 bn was allocated for outstanding terminal benefits of retired Nigeria Airways workers .
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps proposed N 514 . 6 m for the construction of public schools and N 170 . 4 m for construction of stations / barracks .

The Nigeria Police Force voted N 103 m for land acquisition and N 4 . 9 bn for police stations / barracks construction .

Justice ministry gets N 1 bn for election logistics ’ support

Meanwhile , the Federal Ministry of Justice has proposed to spend the sum of N 1 bn on election logistics support in 2019 .

The N 1 bn planned expense jerked the proposed budget up by about 13 . 9 per cent over the ministry’ s 2018 budget .

According to the budget estimate , the sum of N 1 bn proposed by the Ministry of Justice to be spent on what is described as “ Election – Logistics Support ” represents about 13 . 5 per cent of the ministry’ s budget size of N 7 , 431 , 288 , 232 .

Since the budget proposal is for an election year , it is believed that the item has to do with the forthcoming general elections.

Further strengthening this belief is that the item which surfaced under the miscellaneous expenses of the ministry for the 2019 financial year, was absent in the ministry ’ s budget for 2018 .

A total sum of N 1 , 140 , 273 , 822 is proposed for miscellaneous expenses of the ministry for 2019 .

Apart from election logistic support , other items under the heading are publicity and advertisements which are to gulp N 5 , 5671 , 861 ; postages and courier services , N 2 , 108 , 280 ; welfare packages , 93 , 600 , 001 ; sporting activities , N 5 , 000 , 0004 ; annual budget expenses and administration , 28 , 893 , 676 ; and monitoring activities and follow -up , N 5 m .

The sum of N 1 bn proposed for election logistic support represents 87 . 7 per cent of the proposed miscellaneous expenses .

In the 2018 budget of the ministry the amount planned to be spent under miscellaneous expenses without the new item of election logistic support was N 21 , 015 , 931 .

If the budget proposal of the Ministry of Justice is approved by the National Assembly , it means the ministry ’ s budget will increase from N 6 , 526 , 592 , 382 in 2018 to N 7 , 431 , 288 , 232 in 2019 .

The difference of N 904 , 695 , 850 between the 2018 and the proposed 2019 budgets represents about 13 . 9 per cent increase in the proposed budget .

Also , the Nigerian judiciary has proposed to spend the sum of N 110 bn in 2019 .

The third arm of government had proposed to spend the sum of N 100 bn in 2018 but the National Assembly passed the sum of N 110 bn .

Judiciary ’ s budget covers the consolidated salary of judges , personnel, overheads and capital expenditure for federal courts , judiciary institutions and salary of judges of state High Courts .
The federal courts captured under the judiciary budget comprised the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal , the Federal High Court, the National Industrial Court, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory , the Sharia Court of Appeal of the FCT , and the Customary Court of the FCT .

The institutions whose budget proposals are also captured under the judiciary ’ s budget are the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee , Federal Judicial Service Commission, Judicial Service Committee of the FCT , National Judicial Institute, and the Body of Benchers .