… that the navy’s budget for 2023 fiscal year had yacht is false
The Nigerian Navy’s proposal to procure a N3.3 billion yacht for President Goodluck Jonathan’s, use to review the naval fleet during the upcoming Nigeria at 50 anniversary celebrations in October was promptly turned down by the president, his spokesman Ima Niboro told Daily Trust in 2010.
Niboro was reacting to a story by the newspaper, which revealed that the navy requested for the funds to purchase a presidential yacht as part of preparations for the Nigeria at 50 gala in October.
The presidential media aide said as soon as the proposal was presented to Jonathan, he directed the navy to liaise with the National Assembly to seek the authority for a virement in order to use the funds for the repair of naval warships.
Yacht already purchased…..
The Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, has clarified the issue bordering on the controversial Presidential yacht said to be worth about N5 billion.
Ndume made this clarification while speaking on the review of the supplementary budget on Arise Television’s Morning show on Friday.
The All Progressives Congress Senator representing Borno South said the presidential yacht had been signed and delivered but not paid for before the public outcry, adding that the Senate has since added the required payment fee to the student loan budget.
Ndume said, “We queried the amount budgeted for the yacht, but it was signed for a dollar rate, and the new rate isn’t favourable. The budget was predicated for about N435, and now it is over N800.
“The Navy also clarified that it is not a new budget. And even the House of Representatives moved the budget to the Student loan. The deal for the yacht has been agreed, signed, and delivered but not paid for.”
Speaking on the N160m for Land Cruiser SUV for each lawmaker in the National Assembly, the Chief Whip stressed that it is not a new thing for government workers to be buying vehicles for official duties.
Reacting, the Presidency said the item named ‘Presidential Yacht’ as found in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill is not for President Bola Tinubu’s personal use.
This was, as it said, the naval boat bears such classification “because of the high-level security features.”
“What was named as a presidential yacht in the budget is an operational Naval boat with specialised security gadgets suitable for high profile operational inspection and not for the use of the President,” Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained in a statement on Thursday evening.
Verdict: Goodluck Jonathan indeed rejected the purchase of the yacht. The claim that the procurement of a yacht had already been stated in the navy’s budget for 2023 fiscal year is false
Conclusion: The navy didn’t include a yacht in its 2023 budget. Except in a copy of Supplementary budget.
