President Muhammadu Buhari is to spend a total of N1. 001 billion on local and foreign travels in 2019.
The detailed breakdown of the 2019 budget as reported by Vanguard, which the president signed into law early this week, showed that the president would spend N751.296 million travelling around the world and another N250. 021 million locally.
According to the budget, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will also spend N217.060 million on foreign travels and another N83. 74 million on local travels.
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The president would also spend N164.1 million on honorarium and sitting allowance, as well as N25.7 million on meals and refreshments. The Office of the President would also spend N8.5 million on the purchase of books in the 2019 fiscal year.
N3.822 billion was earmarked for annual routine maintenance of mechanical/electrical installations in the Villa.
According to the budget, N576. 747 million was set aside for the phased replacement of vehicles, spares and tyres in the presidential CVU, security/police escort and State House operational fleet.
Another N395. 834 million was earmarked for the construction of the Presidential Wing of the State House Clinic, while N395. 834 million would be spent on the construction of office buildings.
The President would spend N164. 176 million on honorarium and sitting allowance, as well as, N25 .652 million on meals and refreshments.
The Office of the Chief Security Officer to the President got the sum of N 433. 457 million for the purchase of a security and operational vehicles.
The State House Medical Centre was allocated a total of N798.856 million, with drugs and medicals supplies taking N208. 350 million and N 244.364 million earmarked for the purchase of health and medical equipment.
Conversion/upgrade of Villa Ranch and construction of wildlife conservation capture would take N27. 463 million; while rehabilitation of animal enclosure/procurement of Vet Lab equipment was allocated a separate N11. 865 million.
Meanwhile, the Office of the President would spend N8,580,741 on the purchase of books in the 2019 fiscal year. Similarly, N26, 432, 346 was provided in the budget for the purchase of newspapers, while N3, 511,909 was set aside for magazines and periodicals.
The president is expected to expend N98.3 million for foodstuff, catering materials supplies, even as refreshment and meals would gulp another N25.7 million.
Other budgetary allocations for the first citizens include sporting activities (N30. 2m), purchase of sporting/gaming equipment (N38 m), motor vehicle fuel cost (N68m), plant/generator fuel cost (N45. 7m) and cooking gas (N18. 6m).
The N8.9 trillion budget signed into law by President Buhari earlier in the week is N90 billion more than the N8. 825 billion he presented before a joint session of the National Assembly in 2018.
The budget is premised on an oil benchmark assumption of $60 per barrel, oil production of 2.3 million barrel per day, exchange rate of N305 to the dollar and inflation rate of 9.98 per cent.
President Buhari, 76, was sworn in for a second term in office on Wednesday, May 29 with his term set to expire in 2023.
Yetunde Adegoke
