The Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume has revealed that the deal for the presidential yacht included in the supplementary budget has already been signed and delivered.
Ndume made this revelation in an interview with Arise Television on Friday.
He said, “The deal has been signed and delivered, but not paid, and that’s what brought the inclusion of the amount (N5 billion) in the supplementary budget.”
Recall that the House of Representatives rejected the federal government’s plan to buy a presidential yacht, which is expected to cost N5 billion in the supplementary budget.
The controversial presidential yacht has been met with public outrage as Nigerians have criticized the plan as a waste of money on luxuries considering the economic situation in the country.
President Tinubu had tabled a supplementary budget in the National Assembly for approval, with the planned purchase of the yacht listed under the Nigerian Navy’s proposed capital expenditure of $53 million.
Meanwhile, the presidency has claimed the item named ‘Presidential Yacht, as found in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill, is not for Tinubu’s personal use.
The presidency said the naval boat bears such a classification “because of the high-level security features.”
“What was named as a 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.”
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement on Thursday.
