At last, NASS approves N242bn for 2019 polls

…Lawmakers adjust allocation to security agencies
…Insist funding must come from N500bn service wide votes
Both chambers of the National Assembly, on Tuesday, approved N242, 245,050,100 as total sum of money to be sourced through virement for the 2019 general election.

The two chambers at their separate plenaries approved a sum of N189,007,272,393 for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), N9,481,500,000 for the Office of National Security Adviser, N10,213,282,455 for the Department of State Security, N3,573,534,500 for Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, N27,341,317,433 for Nigeria Police Force and N2,628,143,320 for Nigeria Immigration Service.

No mention was made of the Nigeria Fire Service, Nigeria Prison Service, Nigerian Army and Nigerian Navy in the election budgetary consideration for security agencies.

The parliament, however, insisted that the approved fund should be sourced from the N500, 000,000,000 security votes of the President, specifically, from both recurrent and capital components of Special Intervention Programmes captured in the Service Wide Votes of the 2018 Appropriation Act.

The National Assembly approved that N194,746,378,099 to be taken from the N350,000,000,000 Recurrent component of the SIP and N47,498,672,001 from the N150,000,000,000 capital component of the SIP captured the Service Wide Votes of the 2018 Appropriation Act.

In the first letter dated July 11, President Buhari had requested that the election budget be taken from the N500 billion inserted into the 2018 budget by the lawmakers.

But in the report subtitled, Source of Fund, the Appropriation Committee recommended that “the sum of N242,245,050,100 requested for the funding of the 2019 general election should be vired from both Recurrent and Capital components of Special Intervention Programme captured in the Service Wide Votes of the 2018 Appropriation Act.

The Appropriation Committee of both houses in their report explained that the total request of President Buhari for the election in his two letter is N242, 445,322,600.00.

However, some discrepancies were noticed in the final report of the Senate Appropriation Committee which was approved as there were differences in the figures requested by the security agencies and figures finally approved on Tuesday.

Fund previously requested by the Office of the National Security Adviser was N4,281,500,000 but N9,481,500,000 was approved; Department of State Services requested N12,213,282,455 while N10,213,282,455 approved.

National Security and Civil Defence Corps request of N3, 573,534,500 was approved. The Nigerian Police Force had its N30,541,317,432 request reduced to N27,341,317,433 and Nigerian Immigration Service request of N2,628,143,320 was approved unchanged.

Commenting on the issue, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said the budget “is to ensure credible, safe election in 2019”.