http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/11805-50th-independence-jonathan-orders-probe-of-n66bn-budget-expenditure



50th Independence: Jonathan orders probe of N6.6bn budget expenditure

Apparently worried by comments over how the N6.6 billion budgeted for Nigeria’s 50th Independent celebration was expended, President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a probe into the use of the fund approved by the Federal Government.

Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, discolsed this while briefing State House Correspondents on the outcome the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

She said that the president had directed that a committee be set up to review the week-long celebration to determine areas that could be improved upon for future celebrations.

According to her, government planned to commend officials who performed their duties well and sanction those found wanting during the Independence anniversary activities.

She noted that, “all monies spent will be accounted for by all those monies were given to, to make for transparency and proper accountability.

“There were contributions from other ministers on the successes recorded, observed lapses and way forward.

“A committee was put in place to examine the causes of the observed lapses with a view to correcting them in future events. We intend to commend those that have done well and reprimand those that did not do their work.”

mumu president - the best thing he would have done was to stop the extravagant party from happening in the first place. Another fruitless enquiry to be started . Nothing will ever change until the blood of the crooked politicians is spilled. So get ready for another 4 years of waste and increased poverty for the masses.

will somebody eat this cake or are they gonna waste it after cutting it. i hope the money spent on baking this cake will not be a wasted money.

GEJ seems stupid to me o. We all know that the report of the investigation will never be made public.
I AM TOO ANGRY TO COMMENT
Anyway, that was a beautiful cake out there!

Oh, after the fact is when we start pretending to wonder if the money was too much? And they're already planning "future celebration"? Foolish.

simply a move to get back to good terms with the masses or as usual, implicate an unfaithful member of his executive.

Nigeria and its leadership are moronic entities. I pray for eradication of the cesspit called Nigeria.

Another charade in the offing.
Does anyone out there knows when Ribadu will announce his ambition to run for presidency?

Haha the probe is going to cost money again what a funny country

first excessive spending on independence celebration now turn around and decide to spend more on probing the spend, what a joke!

he is the progenitor of the idea,he executed it and now he tells us that he wants to investigate himself. GEJ is just fooling around and he will show up in my school to continue his fooling around exercise.

rebranded:

Haha the probe is going to cost money again what a funny country

first excessive spending on independence celebration now turn around and decide to spend more on probing the spend, what a joke!

na their way, oloshi people!

Guys , this is the time we all start thinking outside the box. Team Jonathan is trying to preempt something here. Perhaps an expose on corrupt diversion of funds. IBB has said he stayed away from the independence bash because of the uneccessary waste of funds at a time when a low-key reflection would have been better. Does IBB know something he will soon reveal? Atiku has accused Jonathan of using Nigeria's money to fund his campaign . Is this damage limitation by Jonathan to provide ready excuse for whatever may be revealed soon? Many Nigerians shouted themselves hoarse about the excessive amount being spent for our 50th celebration yet Jonathan insensitively wen't ahead to spend lavishly. If it is now revealed that funds were looted then there must be a fall guy "not connected with the Presidency" so that project Jonathan (doomed IMO) remains on course.

Probe a 5 days old project? Wahala dey. President JEGA have no plan, vision or ideas. Now he thinks we will celebrate it.

Who will probe Madam for those millions spent on Brazilian plates bags of rice Double wahala

what is there to probe my president ? that he plans to probe does not make it hurt less  , why go through the hassle of probing  when he could have easily stopped such an amount from being spent on absolute rubbish , meanwhile was he not aware that they were planning to spend  billions like that celebrating their fathers and their mothers head?  

After all the noise , did Guiness book of record even acknowlegde the cake at all ? were they even invited to measure it , if they really wanted to do something useful , they shld have provided all the primary schools in Abuja with free breakfast of bread, egg and tea with the amount of flour, milk ,sugar, egg wasted on making such bull . mshweeeeeeeeeeeewwwwww

egift:

Probe a 5 days old project? Wahala dey. President JEGA have no plan, vision or ideas. Now he thinks we will celebrate it.

Who will probe Madam for those millions spent on Brazilian plates bags of rice Double wahala

Crazy is it not? Anyway , I am sure this is damage limitation in advance from a Presidency that is under seige over so much of the impropriety it has committed to actualise a very difficult project regarded as opportunistic by many.

And what is wrong in ordering a probe? I thought some media houses reported that the amount meant for the celebration was 17 billion? so it was actually 6.6? There is nothing wrong with the probe except that we Nigerians have a tendency to always enjoy Cynicism.

epa! jedijedi

babytoun:

And what is wrong in ordering a probe? I thought some media houses reported that the amount meant for the celebration was 17 billion? so it was actually 6.6? There is nothing wrong with the probe except that we Nigerians have a tendency to always enjoy Cynicism.

A lot is wrong in this particular case . The whole project was already mired in rancour , to begin with , over the insensible amount being spent considering global conditions and the dearth of actual achievement to elaborately jubilate over. Many outrightly stated that Jonathan was callously going ahead because of the desperate need to obtain campaign funds that blinded him to what Nigerians wanted. It was therefore absolutely imperative that Jonathan ensured that every single Kobo was judiciously accounted for because his reputation will suffer if any financial impropriety is later associated with an excercise that had already been criticised heavily for wastage. Announcing a probe only a few days after money has been spent is ridiculously senseless. It is an attempt to deflect blame for impending revelations of graft IMO.

Gbawe:

A lot is wrong in this particular case . The whole project was already mired in rancour , to begin with , over the insensible amount being spent considering global conditions and the dearth of actual achievement to elaborately jubilate over. Many outrightly stated that Jonathan was callously going ahead because of the desperate need to obtain campaign funds that blinded him to what Nigerians wanted. It was therefore absolutely imperative that Jonathan ensured that every single Kobo was judiciously accounted for because his reputation will suffer if any financial impropriety is later associated with an excercise that had already been criticised heavily for wastage. Announcing a probe only a few days after money has been spent is ridiculously senseless. It is an attempt to deflect blame for impending revelations of graft IMO.

Sorry, i dont seem to understand what you men here? Is the probe too early? Is it not necessary at all? The bolded text looks contradictory.

babytoun:

Sorry, i dont seem to understand what you men here? Is the probe too early? Is it not necessary at all? The bolded text looks contradictory.

Nope . There should be no need for a probe considering that Jonathan should have ensure the judicious usage of funds due to the heavy criticism of wastage the celebration attracted at planning stage. Jonathan would not have been blind to heavy criticism of profligacy over the independence celebration.  A probe this early is simply indicative of an attempt at damage limitation. Everything will be revealed with time. If we look at the big picture it is obvious that this is a bad precedence borne of desperation. Shall we then probe every single project that enjoys large Government expenditure ? Is that not what has always happened in Nigeria? Is this not another indication of Jonathan's incompetence with how he is not offering anything different to the ineffective practices of the past? Why spend a lot of money and then inefficiently dissipate more money probing what was spent ? There would be no need for any probe if his Government is a modern , visionary and competent one that is completely committed to transparency and accountability which effectively checkmates corruption and looting . Saharareporters may be about to reveal that Patience Jonathan's maid won supply contract for the Independence bash and team Jonathan needs to find a scapegoat

Million of naira will be wasted. Let them stop the probe, please don't say I have share in it o

Mr Gbawe

A lot of conjectures in you post. well we are all entitled to our opinions. But I hope you are not saying judicious usage is a substitute for probes like this. Probes show everyone that the right thing has been done or point everyone to gaps during implementation. There is a difference between doing the right thing and making sure that the right thing is seen to have been done.

The office of the president is so powerful in my opinion that 6.6 billion where various cost items were spelt out and made public before the anniversary , becomes a source for campaign funds. These guys can do a lot through NNPC and the foreign oil partners to raise massive funds that you and I know nothing about. I dont just find this Nigerian trend of picking holes in everything fashionable. cheers

how much has been allocated to the probe panel?
I hope the panel reflects federal character in terms of geo political representation?

[size=14pt]Chei! GEJ! You be heavy KPAS! Were you not the one that approved all the wasteful spending in the first instance? COWTAIL! [/size]

The independence anniversary should have been suspended or at least low keyed,thereby saving N6.6bn and probably the 10 lives lost to the bomb blast.

There is only one way to end this klepto-patrimonial rubbish.

Please support Nuhu Ribadu for 2011 !!!! IT IS POSSIBLE !!!!


@Gbawe i salute you.

babytoun:

Mr Gbawe

A lot of conjectures in you post. well we are all entitled to our opinions. But I hope you are not saying judicious usage is a substitute for probes like this. Probes show everyone that the right thing has been done or point everyone to gaps during implementation. There is a difference between doing the right thing and making sure that the right thing is seen to have been done.

The office of the president is so powerful in my opinion that 6.6 billion where various cost items were spelt out and made public before the anniversary , becomes a source for campaign funds. These guys can do a lot through NNPC and the foreign oil partners to raise massive funds that you and I know nothing about. I dont just find this Nigerian trend of picking holes in everything fashionable. cheers

Call it what you like . the fact is that modern Governments don't operate this ineptly or wastefully. At least Yar Adua can justify probing the spending of the Government before his but Jonathan simply looks grossly inept and profligate by probing the spending of his own Government. I am sure we have not heard the last of this.

GEJ is a looter extraordinaire.

It started from his 2nd day in office when he quicly rushed through the release of $3bln allocation from ECA to pay off those who pushed through his Presidency. Just a month later, another $3bln was released.

Its an insult to the Nigerian public to claim he is investigating the fraud when we all knew it was fraud in the first place. I am yet to see anything from the celebration which was worth the money spent. He should start with his wife who distributed 10000 bags of rice, claiming it was 2m bags. I assure you if it was 2m bags, every family in Abuja would have a bag of rice.

Thunder fire these enemies of the people.

kenosky:

[size=14pt]Chei! GEJ! You be heavy KPAS! Were you not the one that approved all the wasteful spending in the first instance? COWTAIL! [/size]

lol

it has come and gone. there is no need to probe anybody now but let look for a way to move the country forward because at the end of the probe no action will be taken.

in fact , hum, what a country

i ve said it before this man just lost my vote.

up ribadu