President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo plan to spend N3.57 billion on feeding and travel expenses, details of the 2022 budget proposals have shown. The amount is the highest since Mr Buhari assumed office, a PREMIUM TIMES review has shown.
The president proposed N2.6 billion of the amount for his office, while N778 million was set aside for Mr Osinbajo’s office. Presidential travels will gulp N2.3 billion: N775.6 million for local trips and N1.5 billion for international journeys.
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The vice president’s travel expenses would gulp N778 million. Of this, N301 million was allocated for local trips and N476 million for foreign travels.
Highest In Buhari Years
In what is perhaps a reflection of the high inflation rate in the country and the rising cost of goods and services, this year’s budgetary allocation for the travels and feeding expenses of the president and vice president’s offices is the highest since Mr Buhari assumed office as president and submitted his first full-year budget to the National Assembly.
The sum of N3.4 billion was approved for the offices of the two citizens of the country in 2021. A similar figure was approved in 2020 for the same purpose.
Travel and feeding for both men cost the country N1.5 billion in 2019; N1.52 billion in 2018; in 2017, N1.45 billion; and N1.43 billion in 2016.
Presidential feeding
Allocation for the meals of Mr Buhari and Mr Osinbajo’s office has been pegged at N457 million in the proposed 2022 budget. Of this, the president’s office would spend N301 million on foodstuff and catering materials supplies, while the vice president’s bill was put at N156 million.
Likewise, refreshments and meals will take N50.9 million for the two highest offices. A total of N30.6 million was allocated for the president while N20 million was slated for the vice president.
In 2021, N195.5 million was approved for the feeding expenses of the first two families of the country. While Mr Buhari received N124 million, Mr Osibanjo got N71 million. This is the same amount that was approved for the president in 2020, 2019 and 2018.
Meanwhile, in 2017, N115 million was spent on feeding, while in 2016, N103 million was spent for the same purpose, analysis of the budget for the last six years shows.
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In the immediate past three years, the vice president’s office got the approval of N71.5 million for feeding expenses. This is a decrease from the N88.9 million approved in 2018, but an increase from the meal bills in 2017, N53.7 million, and N24 million in 2016.
