President
Muhammadu Buhari has proposed the sum of N242.445bn for the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to prepare
adequately for the 2019 general elections.
The president made the proposal in a letter addressed to Senate President Bukola Saraki seeking virement and supplementary budget. The letter was read at the plenary yesterday.
The president made the proposal in a letter addressed to Senate President Bukola Saraki seeking virement and supplementary budget. The letter was read at the plenary yesterday.
“As you are aware, the 2019 general election is scheduled to be
conducted early in 2019. To ensure that adequate arrangements are made
for free and fair elections, it has become necessary to appropriate
funds to enable the relevant agencies to commence preparations.
“INEC and the security agencies have accordingly recently submitted their requests. These have been subjected to usual budget evaluation. The aggregate cost of the elections is estimated at N242,445,322,600,” Buhari said in the letter dated July 11.
He however said that in the light of the prevailing fiscal constraints, “I am proposing that the sum of N164,104,792,065 be provided for through virement or supplementary of the 2018 budget.
“I propose that the balance of N78,340,530,535 mostly related to personnel allowances, fuelling and other costs not required until the election proper, be provided in their 2019 budget,” the president said.
Buhari also said that in view of the already large size of the 2018 budget, the Senate should consider removing the amount for the supplementary budget from the N578.3bn projects the National Assembly inserted into the original proposal he submitted last November.
A breakdown of the amount proposed by the president showed that INEC would get N143.512bn in the supplementary budget, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) would get N11.457bn as Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) would gulp N3.8bn.
The Department of State Security (DSS) would get N2.9bn; the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), 1.8bn and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), N530.1m, totalling N164.1bn.
As for the balance of N78.3bn to be appropriated under the 2019 budget, the breakdown indicated that INEC is to get N45.7bn; the police, N19bn; DSS, N9.3bn; NIS, N2bn; NSCDC, N1.7bn, and ONSA, N426m.
Buhari said in view of his earlier comment that he would request the reinstatement of certain cuts made to some critical projects in the original proposal for 2018 budget, “I am therefore submitting for your consideration the reinstatement of the most critical of such cuts totalling N64, 749, 216, 150.”
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“The total amount required to be provided for in the 2018 budget
for the 2019 general elections and to restore the identified critical
projects to the amount earlier proposed is therefore N228,854,008,215.
“Implementing a budget of N9.12 trillion for 2018 will be extremely challenging and therefore, I do not consider it expedient to propose a further increase to the size of the 2018 expenditure framework to fund these very important and critical expenditure items.
“Accordingly, I invite the Distinguished Senate to consider, in the national interest, reallocating some of the funds appropriated for the new projects, which were inserted into the 2018 budget proposal totalling N578,319,951,904 to cover the sum of N228,854,008,215 required as noted above,” the president said.
“INEC and the security agencies have accordingly recently submitted their requests. These have been subjected to usual budget evaluation. The aggregate cost of the elections is estimated at N242,445,322,600,” Buhari said in the letter dated July 11.
He however said that in the light of the prevailing fiscal constraints, “I am proposing that the sum of N164,104,792,065 be provided for through virement or supplementary of the 2018 budget.
“I propose that the balance of N78,340,530,535 mostly related to personnel allowances, fuelling and other costs not required until the election proper, be provided in their 2019 budget,” the president said.
Buhari also said that in view of the already large size of the 2018 budget, the Senate should consider removing the amount for the supplementary budget from the N578.3bn projects the National Assembly inserted into the original proposal he submitted last November.
A breakdown of the amount proposed by the president showed that INEC would get N143.512bn in the supplementary budget, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) would get N11.457bn as Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) would gulp N3.8bn.
The Department of State Security (DSS) would get N2.9bn; the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), 1.8bn and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), N530.1m, totalling N164.1bn.
As for the balance of N78.3bn to be appropriated under the 2019 budget, the breakdown indicated that INEC is to get N45.7bn; the police, N19bn; DSS, N9.3bn; NIS, N2bn; NSCDC, N1.7bn, and ONSA, N426m.
Buhari said in view of his earlier comment that he would request the reinstatement of certain cuts made to some critical projects in the original proposal for 2018 budget, “I am therefore submitting for your consideration the reinstatement of the most critical of such cuts totalling N64, 749, 216, 150.”
“The total amount required to be provided for in the 2018 budget
for the 2019 general elections and to restore the identified critical
projects to the amount earlier proposed is therefore N228,854,008,215.“Implementing a budget of N9.12 trillion for 2018 will be extremely challenging and therefore, I do not consider it expedient to propose a further increase to the size of the 2018 expenditure framework to fund these very important and critical expenditure items.
“Accordingly, I invite the Distinguished Senate to consider, in the national interest, reallocating some of the funds appropriated for the new projects, which were inserted into the 2018 budget proposal totalling N578,319,951,904 to cover the sum of N228,854,008,215 required as noted above,” the president said.
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