2016 Budget Of Fraud: Inside The Massive Fraud In Buhari’s Budget - Premium Times

On Tuesday December 22, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari walked into a joint session of the National Assembly and presented the first annual budget proposal of his administration, ambitiously tagged: “The Budget of Change”.

After highlighting the economic challenges that confronted the country due to the fall in oil prices, the president vowed the budget would cut waste from government spending and its funds would only be used for public good.

“We are determined to ensure that our resources are managed prudently and utilized solely for the public good,” Mr. Buhari said. “To set the proper tone, one of our early decisions was the adoption of a zero based budgeting approach, which ensures that resources are aligned with government’s priorities and allocated efficiently.”

The breakdown of the line items of the 2016 Appropriation Bill, however, shows that what the president said cannot be farther from the truth.

PREMIUM TIMES extensive review of the proposed budget, which has passed second reading at the Senate and the House of Representatives, reveals it is a collection of fraudulent and frivolous allocations, many of which are clearly meant to support the opulent lifestyle of public officials.
Many of the allocations were either repeated several times, over-priced or are obvious misplacement of priorities.

Vice President Osinbajo and multi-million naira books
A particularly disturbing instance of misplaced priority is the allocation for books for Vice President Osinbajo’s office.

Mr. Osinbajo’s office has more money allocated to it for books than what each of the federal polytechnics in the country are getting for the same purpose.

While N4,906,822 was proposed to be spent on books by Mr Osinbajo, the total allocation for books for 11 out of 22 federal polytechnics, which actually have book allocations, was a mere N3,832,038 .

In fact, of all government-owned educational institutions across all levels, only two got more allocations for books than what was proposed for the Vice President. The institutions are Federal University of Technology, Owerri, N6,886,157; and the National Open University of Nigeria, N6,466,895.

The need for this huge book allocation for the vice president’s office is even more baffling considering the fact that last year, N7,525,135 was also budgeted for the same purpose.

Although a top source in the Presidency accused senior civil servants, whom he described as “budget mafia”, of sneaking frivolous items into the budget, it is however curious that some of the most outrageous proposals in the budget were found under line items for the State House.

The State House Clinic, its billions and a VIP wing
Of the N3,890,629,221 the Presidency earmarked to spend on the State House Medical Centre, N308million will go for constructing a new VIP wing at the clinic.

Despite allocating N3.21 billion for health equipment and supplies for the State House Medical Centre, a separate line item under “State House HQTRS” lists a N203,273,602 budget for drugs and medical supplies and the vice president was also allotted an additional N7.54 million for medical expenses.

In comparison to the State House Medical Centre’s N3.8billion allocation, only N2,666,853,303 was proposed in the budget for the construction of hospitals nationwide.

And in a clear case of misplaced priorities, the budget proposes N11.61 billion for development, construction and staffing of a ‘Logistics Supply Chain’ for the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, and nothing for its core mandate such as improving access to basic health services.

The cables, the lightings and the billions
Curiously, the presidency also proposed to spend N322,421,971 to link a cable to the drivers’ restroom at the presidential villa. Another N213,873,953 was proposed for linking of a cable from Guest House No 9 generator house to the gate.

The president allocated N618,604,265 for the installation of electrical lighting and fittings at the villa, which equate to spending N1.6 million daily installing lighting and fittings and another N371,733,964 for the installation of electrical distribution boards and other cables.
Repairs and renovations of existing structures are also obvious money guzzlers in the proposed budget.

Buhari’s Guest House and the N400million face-lift
The general renovation of Aso Rock Guest House was proposed to cost N387,980,200, just as furnishing the rooms in the Guest House was put at N45million. We are not told when the existing furniture in the facility was procured and why there is need to change them now.
Furthermore, a whopping N3.91 billion was earmarked for the annual routine maintenance of villa facilities. A breakdown of this amount shows that the government plans to spend N10.72 million daily on routine maintenance. This amount was exclusive of the N278,041,172 proposed for villa office and residential maintenance.

Buhari wants to pay rent for Aso Rock?
Perhaps the most bizarre of all the allocations is the proposed N22,321,880 budgeted for residential rent at the State House. It is unclear whom the presidency is paying the rent to.
In the draft budget, a total of N436,054,626 was allocated for meals and refreshment, canteen/kitchen equipment, foodstuff and catering materials for the president and the vice president.

While N20,260,300 was proposed for sporting and games equipment for the Presidential Air Fleet, another N39,075,000 was proposed for purchase of recreational facilities at the State House. Surprisingly the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation proposed to spend another N193,513,097 for recreational facilities as well.

Exotic cars while Nigerians suffer
The Presidency also proposed to spend N904,015,000 for the acquisition of brand new automobile fleet and fleet maintenance equipment in the year.

This amount, when broken down, is equal to spending N2,469,986 everyday on its automobile fleet. This is in addition to the N259,015,000 for the Purchase of “Tyres, Batteries, Fuses, Toolboxes, Car Jacks, Tyre Changing ‘Machines’ and Kits” and N27,000,000 to purchase C-Caution Signs, Fire Extinguishers, Towing Ropes and Booster Cables for just for the Aso Rock automobile fleet.

Curiously enough, most of the vehicles in this fleet are hardly taken outside Abuja and its environs.

The questionable allocations in the draft budget are not limited to the presidency alone. Many more of such bewildering allocations are scattered all over the budget.

Buhari wants N1.4billion houseboats for officers while Northeast burns
As our reporters reviewed the budget, it became increasingly clear that the government may have a problem with getting its priorities right.

For Instance, at a time when the nation’s armed forces are battling a murderous insurgency in the country’s North East region – a war that has left many soldiers and officers with horrendous injuries – the Ministry of Defence proposed to spend N1.39 billion for the procurement of a houseboat in Abuja , a floating house mostly used for relaxation and a dwelling place by top officers.

Also the Ministry of Communication Technology proposed N585,000,000 for the purchase of chairs and N415,500,000 for the purchase of tables.

Under this ministry, there was also a particularly arbitrary line item tagged: Procurement of the Equipment and its Accessories. The draft budget did not state what this equipment is and what kind of accessories it requires but a whopping N2.9 billion was projected to be spent on this item.

The Ministry of Information and Culture also proposed to spend[b] N99,281,250 for the procurement of 1,600 chairs at the National Theatre and N140,911,157 for the procurement of computers for National Troupe of Nigeria[/b] , while budgeting nothing for costumes, props and other equipment.
In comparison, the total allocation for the procurement of computers by the Ministry of Science and Technology is N91,394,900.

Fashola and his N140million naira for a single borehole
The Ministry of Works, Power and Housing proposed to spend N140,000,000 for the construction of a single solar borehole, and N161,500,000 for the construction of a motorised borehole.

The Ministry of Interior budgeted N576,500,000 for the construction/provision of electricity, N595,606,148 for repair/ rehabilitation, and N6.2 billion for research and development.
The Nigerian Prison Service however budgeted N500,000,000 for “capacity building.”

In the 2015 budget, the allocation for security equipment for the Nigerian Immigration Service was N86,057,143 but the figure leapt astronomically to N2.12 billion in the draft 2016 budget .

Repetition galore
The proposed budget for the National Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) has a repetition of the same line items with different allocations. The agency proposed N15,000,000 for water reticulation in main station and immediately proposed the N5,000,000 for the same item.

Similarly, the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology repeated the allocation for “Construction/Provision of Agricultural Facilities” twice with different figures. The item was first cost for N626,037,709 and then for N50,000,000.

Another curious feature of the draft budget is the allocation of the exact same amount for unrelated items. For instance, the National Library allocated N5,021,254 each for the following items: books, printing of non-security documents, cleaning and fumigation services, cooking gas/fuel cost, transportation equipment fuel cost, refreshment and meal, medical expenses, sporting activities, and direct teaching and laboratory cost.

At the French Language Village in Badagry, N17,897,716 each was proposed for the building of clinic block, construction of a 250 metres perimeter fence, and a female hostel.

Same item, different prices
PREMIUM TIMES review of the budget also revealed that different prices were quoted for the same item by different agencies and parastatals. For example, several prices were quoted for a unit of Toyota Hilux van.

The same model of van was valued at N1,264,941 by the Gashaka Gumti National Park; N5,700,000 by the Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency; N6,500,000 by Federal Government Girls’ College Owerri; N7,500,000 by the Ministry of Technology, Akure; N8,855,000 by the Federal Government Girls’ College, Gumi Tambuwal; and N9,178,142 by Federal Government Girls’ College Umuahia.

The proposed cost of the same vehicle in the budget of the Federal Government College, Ezzamgbo, Abakaliki is N10,000,000. It was valued at N11,147,675 by the Federal Technical College Lassa; N12,888,016 by the Ministry of Health; N13,500,000 by the Federal Government College, Okigwe; N15,970,515 by the Foreign Service Academy; N26,600,000 by the Office of the National Security Adviser; N27,273,523 by the Federal Technical College, Ikare; and N27,660,000 by Federal Government Girls’ College, Kazaure.



Source: Premium Times

Movement Schedule For SEO 002 Field Work – 2014/2015 Session

This is to inform all students offering the special elective - SEO002: MAN AND HIS ENVIRONMENT that the movement schedule for the 2014/2015 Field Work has been released. This is contained in a notice released by the Coordinator of the course.

The field work, which is to commence on Monday 08th February 2016 and continue till Friday 12th February, 2016 is scheduled for different faculties on each day. The breakdown is as follows:

Monday 8/2/2016 - Morning Session (7.30-11.00am) - Faculty of Sciences
Afternoon Session (12noon-3.00pm) - Faculties of Clinical Sciences,
Dentistry & the rest of Sciences

Tuesday 9/2/2016 - Morning Session (7.30-11.00am) - Faculties of Pharmacy and Agriculture
Afternoon Session (12noon-3.00pm) - Faculties of Law and EDM

Wed. 10/2/2016 - Morning Session (7.30-11.00am) - Faculty of Arts
Afternoon Session (12noon-3.00pm) - Faculties of Arts and
Administration

Thursday 11/2/2016 - Morning Session (7.30-11.00am) - Faculty of Technology
Afternoon Session (12noon-3.00pm) - Faculties of Basic medical
sciences and Education

Friday 12/2/2016 - Morning Session (7.30-11.00am) - Faculty of Education and
others.

Students offering the course are urged to adhere strictly to this schedule as failure to do so might result to disqualification.

For more information and complaints, students can visit the Geography Department, Faculty of Social Sciences.

2016 JAMB UTME: 10 Most Sought After Courses In OAU

The registration deadline for the 2016 JAMB Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination (UTME) lapsed 12:00am this morning, Saturday; meaning there is no further extension of the period.

Assessing the statistics of choices of courses in Obafemi Awolowo University for the 2016 JAMB UTME, following a protracted period of registration, 46,826 applicants chose OAU as one of their most preferred institutions. In this applicants’ number, 46,087 chose OAU as their 1st choice, 672 chose OAU as 2nd choice. 1 and 62 applicants chose OAU as their 4th choice and 3rd choice respectively.

The study of the statistics by OAU Peeps News Agency also revealed the most sought after courses by these applicants. Leading the chart is Medicine and Surgery in the College of Health Sciences with 8,402 applicants.

1.) Medicine and Surgery – 8,402
2.) Accounting – 5,744
3.) Law – 5,383
4.) Nursing/Nursing Science – 3,620
5.) Pharmacy – 2,307
6.) Economics – 1,895
7.) Political Sciences – 1,518
8.) Public Administration – 1,380
9.) International Relations – 1,267
10.) Computer Engineering – 1,134

Surprisingly, despite the announcement by the Federal Government to make tertiary education free for Science, Technology and Education students free in 2016, application to departments in these faculties is very low.

Below the chart are courses like Education and History (3), Portuguese (4), Education and Mathematics (5), Education and Mathematics/Integrated Science (5), Soil Science (8), Education and Physics (9) and Crop Production and Protection (9).

I Do Not Regret My Actions Regarding The Education Sector – Obasanjo

Former Nigerian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at the 7th round-the-table discussion which took place at the Obafemi Awolowo University’s Staff Club has said that he has no regrets regarding the actions he took concerning the education sector when he was in power.

In his words, ‘I have no regrets in whatever I have done in the education sector. If I have the chance, I will do it again. When I came in as a military head, I established UBE (Universal Basic Education), when I came in as a civilian president, I established UBE.’ This was in response to a question raised by a professor who stated that during Obasanjo’s tenure in 1984, catering for students was abolished.

Obasanjo in a bid to answer the question said it would not have been possible to provide quality education to students and at the same time feed them without paying a penny. He said there was no way the feeding could have continued.

“I have no regrets regarding the decisions I took in terms of education including removing free food in our institutions. We had 53 institutions when I came in 1999 but as at the time I left we had 150 institutions.

“I prefer to have all persons in schools than to have some few persons simply enjoying free food.”

A student of political science who also had the privilege of asking the former president a question, sought to know the available opportunities that await the younger generation in politics and the issue of ‘god-fatherism’ that has plagued the Nigerian political world . The former president reminded him that he had approximately 60 people who were below the age of 40 that worked with him during his tenure.

He furthered in response by stating that, he does not have a godfather. According to Obasanjo, ‘if what you are waiting for is for someone to prepare the ground for you, you may wait till eternity. You have to get your hands dirty, get your feet wet.’

The elder statesman did not however end without commenting on the political party where he led the nation as the President; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He pointed out the fact that the money needed for sponsoring elections these days is outrageous, which does not favour an ordinary man. He mentioned that the monetary support given to the PDP in 1998/9 was $7 million, in 2003, $9 million while he said he heard from a reliable source that a sum of $4 billion was spent during the last election. He concluded that things could not go on that way.

The Reflection Of An Elder Statesman; Obasanjo Expresses Skepticism About Chibok Girls Rescue Mission

The 7th Roundtable Discussion tagged The Reflection of an Elder statesman; an evening with Obasanjo held at the OAU Staff Club ran a bit late. The programme which was slated for 4pm did not begin until the elder statesman showed up at about 6pm, although he apologized for his lateness.

The programme started at 6:03pm with the national anthem, followed by the Great Ife anthem. In attendance was the Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Bamitale Omole; the chairperson of the occasion, Professor Folu Lasisi, some dignitaries who came with the former president. Also in attendance was the former Vice Chancellor of OAU, Professor Michael Faborode.

In an event compeered by the president of the OAU Staff Club, Dr Mosobolaje, the OAU VC gave a speech where he regarded Chief Obasanjo as not only a nationalist but also an internationalist. He mentioned some of his achievements as the president of the country. He mentioned that the GDP of the country grew from 3.5 to 7.8 during his tenure, the telecommunication industry was legalized and even the United Nations recognized and appreciated his experience by making him an ambassador.

Following the welcoming and introduction of the elder statesman by the chairperson of the occasion, the former president in his characteristic manner, dramatically removed his agbada before he started talking. The elder statesman jokingly dragged the security detail meant to restrain people and guard from his duty before he continued.

In the course of his reflections, he was asked to make a comment on the rescue plan of the government for the Chibok girls. He said there is no hope since the children were not rescued 72 hours after their abduction. He said if anyone says he is bringing back the girls, it is a lie. He stated that the only ones who are saved were the ones who escaped. Obasanjo furthered by saying we can only expect that the girls might return as women some years later to tell their stories. He mentioned that he is personally responsible for the training of five of the escapes in school abroad.

He commented that the Buhari-led government is showing its willingness in fighting corruption. He said corruption is a hydra-headed monster that needs to be tackled from the top, to be fought from the top; from the President to his Vice to the Senate President and so on. He also responded to a free comment that former leaders specifically himself should be one of the people to be tackled. He then replied I formed all these instruments of fighting corruption. I formed ICPC.

2016 JAMB UTME Registration Closes By Midnight Today

There are strong indications that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is not looking to extend the closing date for the 2016 JAMB UTME registration form any further, as the board has confirmed that the portal closes by Midnight Today, 5th Feb, 2016.

All those yet to purchase the form, this is your final chance. We will advise that you dash now to any JAMB office closest to you or any accredited JAMB CBT Centre in your area to register. The 2016 JAMB UTME registration was initially slated to end January 15, 2016 but was extended twice till today.

ANSA Condemns OAU SU Leaders' Call To Cease NANS Intervention

The Alliance of Nigerian Students against Neo-Liberal Attacks (ANSA) has condemned the decision of the suspended Union leadership of Obafemi Awolowo University to call for a halt of the proposed NANS intervention on ravaging issues affecting students of OAU, thus described it as an 'historic sabotage'.

In a Press Conference organized by members of ANSA which held on Wednesday, 3rd February 2016 at Awolowo Hall cafe, the Pro-tem Convener of ANSA, Wole Olubanji a.k.a Engels alongside other members of the Group addressed several deepening crises facing students and other members of the University community.

The Group highlighted the turns of events since the increment in school fees in May, 2014 and the aftermath effects.

"You will easily recall that in May 2014, the university authority made public its intention to increase the fee regime of both fresh and returning students of this citadel of learning. The argument of the authority for this cataclysmic hike was her desire to “improve” learning and living facilities on campus. In adjudging whether the authority was sincere with the aim of the increment, please take a look at the toilets and bathrooms of OAU halls – which have attracted public debates on account of their poor state. Fee increment has failed! And this is only a confirmation of the position of some of us in the leadership of ANSA back then, in our various capacities as leaders of left organisations, that the cowardly philosophy of administration to always resort to fee hike is impractical as far as the problems with the education sectors are concerned." Wole said.

Another high point of concern for ANSA is the current suspension of the OAU Student Union activities and the suspension of the Union officers trio of Omotayo Akande a.k.a TY, Oketooto Oluwaseun a.k.a Hon. Seun and Ojedokun Emmanuel a.k.a Immanuel Kant. ANSA condemned the suspensions and stated that they are opposed to it, as such, members of ANSA are going to take up campaign for the reinstatement of the union leadership.

ANSA however condemned what it described as an historic sabotage on the part of the Union leadership for recalling the intervention of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone-D even though ANSA expresses worries over the structure of NANS itself.

"In supporting the intervention of NANS, we were not blind to the history and track-records of NANS, which in recent times are nauseating facts. However, we are also aware that the same body has had history of vibrancy and victories against the tyranny of military dictatorship. We are therefore not mechanical with our approach to history.

"In our first encounter with the leadership of NANS, we made it abundantly clear that any form of intervention on OAU campus must be preceded by a Congressional deliberation and decision of OAU students. The leadership agreed with us on convening a Congress, and this discussion was held at the instance of the leadership of the Students’ Union, including the President. More so the opinion of the meeting was that the problem on campus goes beyond the question of reinstatement of union leaders – the independence of the union must however be asserted. And convening a Congress at this point would bring to naught the so-called suspension of union activities. Everyone, including the leadership of the Union, appeared to have shared this line of reasoning, until a late minute vacillation by the union leadership.

"We have already condemned the decision of the Union leadership that called for a halt of the proposed NANS intervention. But we wish to restate it here again that the decision of the leadership to halt the movement of NANS was a historic sabotage, and condemnable. The leadership claimed that its vacillation was based on its choice of diplomacy, and the spontaneity of NANS intervention. This excuse is flimsy. A movement that had agreed to calling a Congress before action cannot be described as spontaneous. And we wish the leadership had had less absurd excuse to disguise this show of cowardice."