Why FG earmarked N4.9bn for Aso Rock electrical maintenance, N1.14bn for fumigating NSA’s office - Budget Office DG reveals

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- The DG of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, has disclosed why the sum of N4.9 billion was budgeted for electrical maintenance in Aso Rock

- According to Akabueze, the Presidential Villa is very large, and the amount is needed to keep the facility in top shape

- He also disclosed that the proposed N1.14bn budget for cleaning and fumigating the Office of the National Security Adviser was needed in order to get rid of ‘criminal elements’

Ben Akabueze, the director general of the Budget Office of the Federation, has disclosed that the federal government earmarked the sum of N4.9 billion for electrical maintenance annually in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in order to keep the infrastructure in good shape.

According to Daily Trust, Akabueze made his comments during an engagement with the media and civil society on the 2018 proposed budget, on Wednesday, January 31, in Abuja, the nations’ capital.

NAIJ.com gathers that he stated that due to size of the Villa, it is not absurd that such amount of money was needed for that purpose.

He stated: “The Villa is quite an expansive edifice with several residences and support services; so as significant as N4.9 billion sounds, it is not too much to keep those facilities in top shape that they have been kept.

“Anyone who has been to the Villa will appreciate that it is one of the best maintained edifice in the country.”

In response to criticisms that certain budgetary provisions were wasteful, Akabueze further stated that all provisions were carefully scrutinized.

He especially justified the need for N4.9bn to be budgeted to take care of the electrical needs of the Villa.

He also justified the proposed N1.14bn budget for cleaning and fumigating the Office of the National Security Adviser.

He stated: “This is not the type of cleaning and fumigation that you and I know, as matters of security are treated with some degree of confidentiality.

“It could be cleaning and fumigation of some criminal elements.”

On the proposed N2.2bn earmarked for the DSS for a supposed social media mining suite, he stated: “The DSS planned to execute some security protocol to curtail spread of false information which they think could threaten national security.

“They have assured us that their intention is not to hinder freedom of expression. But again, different countries in the world agree with this and that’s the reality of our world today.”

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the federal government proposed a budget of N4.86bn in the 2018 fiscal year on maintenance of the Presidential Villa, Abuja in what could be termed a decline when compared to the N4.95bn allocated for annual routine maintenance of villa facilities in the 2017 budget.

This represents a decline of about N90m. In total, N11.54bn was allocated for the state house headquarters in the proposed 2018 budget with a total capital allocation of N7.1bn and recurrent expenditure of N4.43bn.

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