The Federal Government is to spend over N295bn in 2013 on former heads of state, the Presidential Amnesty Programme, and local contractors, among other expenditure. It has also allocated N156,109,634,514bn to the Federal Ministry of Interior in the 2013 budget with the largest sum going to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps – a parastatal under the ministry.

This is contained in the details of the budget proposal for 2013 submitted to the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan last week.

Former Presidents/Heads of State and Vice-Presidents/Chiefs of General Staff are to get N5.5bn in 2013.

According to the provision in the budget, the sum will take care of their “entitlements.” The emoluments of past heads of state and their deputies have always been a controversial issue. Nigeria has seven living ex-heads of state, and several families of late presidents and deceased vice presidents.

Besides their generous pensions, former heads of state are also bought houses and vehicles by government.

Some have argued that past and current leaders should forfeit their entitlements because the country hasn’t made much progress under successive administrations.

In February, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Character, Senator Smart Adeyemi, argued against the emoluments, asking the former leaders to sacrifice their ‘perks’ for the development of the country.

“My conscience will not allow me to champion it. Tell them to sacrifice. The hospital have no drugs, the roads are bad, there is no electricity and most graduates are unemployed,” he had said.

Similarly, retired Heads of Service of the Federation and Permanent Secretaries will take home N2.5bn collectively.

The details also show that over N63.2bn will go into the amnesty programme in the coming year. Out of this sum, 30,000 Niger Delta ex-militants will earn N23.6bn as “stipends and allowances.” Reintegration of transformed ex-militants will gulp N25.4bn, while N3.6bn will be spent as “operational cost”.

The budget also earmarks N546.3m for the “reinsertion/transition safety allowances for 3,642 ex-militants (third phase).”

A provision of N5.7bn is made for the repair of churches and mosques damaged during the 2011 post-election violence and civil disturbances in parts of the country. The proposal is, however, silent on the number and location of worship centres that will benefit from the proposal.

State governments that carried out repair works on Federal Government roads will also get their refund with a provision of N20bn. However, the states to benefit are not listed in the budget.

Government has also voted N15bn for job creation but does not state the number of jobs to be created under the sub-head.

Out of the N156bn allocated to the Federal Ministry of Interior in the 2013 budget, the NSCDC would get N58,479,117,932bn and the Nigeria Prisons Service N41,913,329,794bn.

The Nigeria Immigration Service, on the other hand, is allocated N50,161,923,496bn.

The main ministry, the Federal Ministry of Interior is to get N2,348,899,043 while the Federal Fire Service has N2,811,790,076bn as its own allocation.

Customs, Immigration, Prisons and Pension Office are allocated N200,864,174m while the Civil Defence, Immigration and Prison Service Board is to spend the sum of N193,710,001m.

Under the NSCDC budget, Personnel Cost is put at N55, 124,081,889bn while the Overhead Cost is just N2, 312,579,863bn.

Under Overhead Cost, the corps votes the sum of N144,157,261bn as security vote while it will spend N170, 262,211m to purchase sea boats. It will also spend a total sum of N224, 064,733m on insurance premium.

The Corps is to buy 100 Ak47,166 pistols and 200 boxes of ammunition at the cost of N40, 322,500m.

It is also going to spend N30m on operational equipment like three hand-held explosive devices, 48 individual protection equipment and 40 explosive detonators.

In the budget, the NSCD will also construct and complete two out of its 37 state commands headquarters at the cost of N103, 304,461m.

The budget also indicates that the corps will spend N120m to construct and complete two out of its eight barracks in the country.

However, the budget is silent on where the two state command headquarters and barracks will be located. Our correspodents report that the Federal Government has spent huge sums on equipping the Corps in recent times.

Under the NPS budget, the government will spend the sum of N122,147,484m on prisoners and another N293, 639,798m on their uniforms and clothing. Government also plans to spend the sum of N5, 204,858,531bn to feed prisoners in 2013.

The NIS will spend the sum of N135,580,387m to clothe its personnel, with N129, 378,910m as security vote.

It has also budgeted the sum of N150m for the purchase of surveillance communications and intelligence gathering tools and another N160m for arms and ammunition.

http://www.elombah.com/index.php/special-reports/12947-budget-fg-to-splash-n5-5bn-on-ex-presidents-ex-vps-punch
http://www.punchng.com/news/budget-fg-to-splash-n5-5bn-on-ex-presidents-ex-vps/

Double post.

Isn't it interesting? when they are in government, they settle themselves and when they leave, they are settled generously! Any which way, they win. Why won't politics be a do or die affair in this country