In the face of economic challenges and high inflation, Nigeria’s Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has earmarked N5 billion for upgrades to the vice president’s official residence in Lagos.
The N2.17 trillion supplementary budget passed in November 2023 allocated N3 billion for renovations at the vice president’s residence in Lagos and an additional N2.5 billion for upgrades to his quarters within Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.
However, an analysis by the Punch using GovSpend, a civic tech platform for tracking public spending, revealed that a total of N5,034,077,063 was spent on the Lagos renovations in two phases this year.
Specifically, on May 31, 2024, the State House paid N2,827,119,051 to Denderi Investment Limited, an engineering contractor, for initial renovations.
On September 5, 2024, the Office of the Chief of Staff authorized two additional payments to the same firm: N726,748,686 for ongoing work and N1,480,209,326 for Phase 2 of the project.
Meanwhile, last November, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) unveiled plans to invest N15 billion in constructing a new official residence for the vice president in Abuja.
This plan was introduced by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike as he defended the FCTA’s N61.5 billion supplementary budget proposal before a House of Representatives committee.
These spending plans have prompted criticism from various advocacy groups. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) argued that the funds allocated for the vice president’s Abuja residence represent a misuse of public funds and a violation of the Nigerian Constitution, as well as international anti-corruption and human rights standards.
Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, remarked, “Approving N15 billion for the vice president’s residence undermines public trust and constitutional commitments, especially considering that 30% (N8.25 trillion) of the 2024 budget of N27.5 trillion is allocated to debt servicing.”
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre Executive Director Auwal Rafsanjani also criticized the government’s spending priorities, stating that allocations over the past 16 months reveal an absence of serious efforts to reduce government costs.
Debo Adeniran, Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, added that without a constitutional reform to curb government spending, financial mismanagement will continue unchecked in Nigeria’s governance.