Following the outrage over the provision for a presidential yacht and other line items in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation presented to the National Assembly, the presidency has provided some clarifications.
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, in a statement, said the public anger over the issue is “misconception and misunderstanding of the issues.”
“We need to make clear that President Bola Tinubu’s administration respects the views of Nigerians on all matters of public concern,” he added.
He listed ‘four facts’ on the issue:
1. What was named 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 president’s use. It is called a presidential yacht by way of vocabulary because of its high-level security features.
2. The navy ordered the Naval boat under the previous administration. President Tinubu has consistently said that government is a continuum, as he inherited both assets and liabilities of past administrations.
3. The payment request for the boat was part of the committed obligation submitted by the office of the Chief of Naval Staff to the Ministry of Defence. The total of the submitted requests was over N200 billion, of which the president approved N62 billion.
4. President Tinubu is focused on securing our country and territorial waters. The Federal Government, under his leadership, is investing more resources to enhance greater economic output from our oil and gas, marine and blue economy.
He added:
“In President Tinubu, we have a leader who understands the economic challenges being faced by the masses. His administration is working very hard to confront and surmount those challenges.
“Nigerians will soon get the benefits of the ongoing reforms that will certainly lead to a buoyant and improved quality of life for all citizens.”
