States spend billions on presidential lodges

State governments are spending billions of naira of public funds on constructing and maintaining presidential lodges that are rarely used by presidents.

This practice has continued in spite of the cash crunch that has left many states unable to pay salaries of their workers.

Presidential lodges in several states have not hosted a sitting president for years, even as they gulp billions in maintenance annually. Some of the presidential lodges have been converted to guest houses by state officials.
Since his coming to power more than one and half years ago, President Muhammadu Buhari has visited less than 10 states. Some of the states Buhari visited included Cross River, Zamfara, Osun, Ogun, Katsina, Edo and Kaduna. The president didn’t pass the night in most of the states he visited.
Findings by Daily Trust show that while the states are voting billions for presidential lodges, other critical sectors like hospitals are voted insignificant funds.
In Abia, the state government is building presidential lodge at the cost of N4.8 billion. The project was initiated by Governor Theodore Orji in 2014.
But on the other hand, the state has budgeted N256 million for the rehabilitation of four major general hospitals in Ohafia, Obingwa, Ikuano and Umuahia in this year’s budget.
In Benue State, the cost of maintaining the presidential lodge is under the Government House administration budgetary provision of N1.7 billion as shown in 2016 budget breakdown.
The Benue State Commissioner of Finance, David Olofu, said in Makurdi that his office does not have sub head for maintenance of the presidential lodge popularly known as “P-lodge.”
The Imo State government spends close to N100 million annually on the presidential lodge. Daily Trust gathered that the lodge is under the care of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mrs Ogechi Ololo.

Daily Trust, November 14, 2016

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now