TheCable

If you have been surfing the internet over the past week to keep up with the latest trends in Nigeria, you would most likely have come across “presidential yacht” among the top search results.

In the 2023 supplementary budget, the federal government had earmarked N5 billion for the acquisition of a presidential yacht, which was categorised under the capital expenditure of the navy’s budget.

This allocation had sparked criticisms from Nigerians, particularly in light of the prevailing economic challenges and calls for a reduction in the cost of governance.

Amid the backlash from Nigerians, the presidency said the yacht was a naval vessel and not for President Bola Tinubu.

“What was named as Presidential Yacht in the budget is an Operational Naval boat with specialized security gadgets suitable for high profile operational inspection and not for the use of the President,” Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said in a statement.

“It is called presidential yacht by way of nomenclature because of the high-level security features.”

On Thursday, the senate and house of representatives passed the N2 trillion supplementary budget, but reallocated the appropriation for the yacht to the students’ loan programme.

‘IT WAS ORDERED BY BUHARI’S ADMINISTRATION’

On Thursday, the presidency said the naval boat was ordered by the navy during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“President Tinubu has consistently said that government is a continuum as he inherited both assets and liabilities of past administrations,” the presidency said.

On Saturday, Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, the director of naval information, confirmed to TheCable that the yacht was “ordered” during Buhari’s government and that payment for the executive boat was to be made later.

“The crux of the matter is that it was ordered under the previous administration and it was delivered. It was approved but there was no cash backing. The navy is not using it at all. It was just delivered. Decisions will have to be taken at all levels. We are just awaiting instructions,” he said.

Furious with the development, Yusuf Gagdi, chairman of the house of representatives committee on navy, said the navy will be investigated over the procurement of the yacht without parliamentary approval.

“My committee has expunged that (the appropriation) from the supplementary budget,” he said.

“It is no more in the supplementary budget. Does navy procure a presidential yacht without payment and approval for it only for us to see it on the budget item? The house has asked the committee to investigate.”

IN 2010, JONATHAN REJECTED NAVY’S PROPOSAL TO BUY YACHT

This is not the first time that the navy would be seeking to acquire a presidential yacht.

In 2010, a similar request was made by the navy during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, but it was hastily shot down.

According to a 2010 report by DailyTrust, the navy proposed to procure a presidential yacht for N3.3 billion ahead of the Nigeria at 50 anniversary celebrations in October 2010.

Jonathan, however, turned down the request.

The newspaper quoted Ima Niboro, Jonathan’s spokesperson at the time, as saying that the former president 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.

Virement is the process of transferring an approved budgetary provision from one operating cost element or capital project to another, during a financial year.