2024: Tinubu, Shettima’s Trips To Gulp N15bn, CoS Office Gets N21bn

President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and their aides’ international and local travels in 2024 may gulp N15.961bn.

The figure is contained in the 2024 Appropriation Bill currently before the National Assembly.

Recall that Tinubu last week Wednesday, submitted the nation’s N27.5tn budget named, ‘Budget of Renewed Hope,’ to a joint sitting of the National Assembly.

Details of the budget showed that the President will spend N6.992bn on foreign trips and N638.535m on local travels.

Also, the Vice President according to the budget proposal, will spend N1.229 billion on foreign trips and another N618, 399, 000 million on local travels.

The Office of the Chief of Staff to the President will get an allocation of N21bn, a 97.5 per cent increase from the N517.95m allocated in the 2023 budget to the same office.

In the document, the State House headquarters will get N40.61bn, State House Operations (President) N9.1bn, and State House Operations (Vice-President) N3.14bn.

Also, N260.5m was provided for the office of the Chief Security Officer to the President, the State House Medical Centre got N1.13bn while the State Lagos Liaison office got N632.4m.

Tinubu while presenting the budget last week, said the budget proposal was aimed at completing critical infrastructure projects that would help address structural problems in the economy while lowering the costs of doing business for companies and the cost of living for the average Nigerian.

According to him, “Defence and internal security are accorded top priority. The internal security architecture will be overhauled to enhance law enforcement capabilities and safeguard lives, property and investments across the country.

“Human capital is the most critical resource for national development. Accordingly, the budget prioritises human development with particular attention to children, the foundation of our nation.”