Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff (CoS) to President Bola
Tinubu, says he lives in his private residence contrary to claims that there is
a provision for the renovation of his house in the 2024 appropriation bill.
Gbajabiamila made the clarification in a post shared on his
X page on Tuesday, following social media reports that N10 billion has been
earmarked for the renovation of the residence of the chief of staff to the
president.
“I have seen social media commentary regarding the 2024
Appropriation Bill, particularly the provisions under the Office of the Chief
of Staff to the President,” he wrote.
“Owing to the erroneous nature of these reports, it has
become necessary to clarify that there is no provision in the 2024
Appropriation Bill for the renovation of any residence for the Chief of Staff
to the President. I live in my private residence.
“The sums
mischievously quoted by online bloggers and fake news merchants are for renovating
the Presidential Quarters in Dodan Barracks and the Vice President’s Lodge in
Lagos, to overhaul the information management and communications facilities in
the Presidency to meet modern standards and to provide vehicles for the staff
of the Presidency.
“The sums proposed for these projects are clearly stated in
the budget proposal and bear no resemblance to the deceptive online
commentary.”
He added that the Tinubu administration welcomes and
encourages scrutiny of government expenditure, noting that the budget proposal
is publicly available.
“However, healthy
public debate about government actions requires us to be responsible with our
utterances and engage based on facts rather than insinuations and falsehoods,”
he added.
President Tinubu on November 29, presented the 2024 budget
proposal of N27 trillion to the national assembly for consideration.
The 2024 proposed budget showed that the
presidency through the office of the chief of staff is expected to spend N5
billion for the renovation of Dodan Barracks Presidential Lodge and N5 billion
for the renovation of vice President quarters in Lagos.
Dodan Barracks was the official seat of government under
former military heads of state, including Generals Yakubu Gowon, Murtala
Muhammed, Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, as well as the supreme
military headquarters during the Nigerian civil war.
Since the government relocated its capital to Abuja in 1992,
Dodan Barracks has housed the State House liaison office.
The office acts as a vital link between the presidency and
the southwest geopolitical zone, fostering strong communication and
collaboration.
Additionally, the liaison office provides essential protocol
and logistical support for high-ranking government officials visiting or
passing through Lagos.
Analysis of budget documents reveals a significant increase
in funding for the office of the chief of staff in the proposed 2024 budget.
This allocation, currently awaiting deliberation by the
national assembly, stands at N21.22 billion, marking the highest in the past
five years.
In 2020, the federal government allocated N24.35 million to
the office of the chief of staff. The figure increased significantly in 2021 to
N76.55 million.
The upward trend continued in 2022 and 2023, with budget
allocations of N526.47 million and N517.95 million, respectively.
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