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Uche Usim, Abuja
As tongues wag over appropriations made for the Presidential Villa Abuja, the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, on Wednesday said the N4.9 billion appropriated for electrical and mechanical maintenance of the facility was in realisation of the fact that Aso Rock has several structures that need to be in top shape at all times.
Speaking in Abuja at the 2018 Budget Office Dialogue with the media and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Akabueze said: “people feel the Presidential Villa is just one building which is not the case because there are several other facilities in the vicinity.
“These structures have complex wiring, installation and all that. That money is to take care of these facilities”, he explained.
On the 2018 budget deficit of N2 trillion, Akabueze said N1.7 trillion of the sum would be financed via borrowing, while privatisation proceeds will take care of the balance.
He added that such a step was within the confine of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
The Budget Office boss also justified the N2.2 billion appropriated for Social Media Mining Suite for security agencies and the N338 million computer and software acquisition for the Finance Ministry, saying they vital projects that will impact positively on the economy.
Akabueze said the N2.6trillion earmarked for capital expenditure in 2018 was obviously insufficient but that the government could not balloon it beyond what was appropriated
According to him, a minimum of $30 billion should be set aside annually for infrastructure to actually deal with perennial deficit in that area.
“It’s a challenge really to joggle all the needs of the country with N8.6 trillion. We need huge funds to tackle infrastructural decay.
“Yet, you discover that by the end of the year, some agencies won’t utilise the funds earmarked for them, leaving the government with no option than to mop up the funds.
He assured that the government would ensure that funds are judiciously utilized for the benefit of the citizens.
On why the Service Wide Votes (SWV) represents 30 per cent of the entire budget, Akabueze said the appropriation encompasses pensions, funds for special military operations and other vitals. “In the past, SWV didn’t have the N500 billion social contract fund, it didn’t have N75 billion for Operation Lafia Dole like we have now. These and many more are why the money is large”, he added.
