There were strong indications that the Governor Kaduna State, Malam Nasiru El Rufai lied about his allegation that former President Jonathan administration spent a total of N64billion towards the 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 independence day celebrations as against the N70million spent by the Buhari government for the 2015 celebration.
A statement issued by the Jonathan team confirms that the Jonathan administration was actually more prudent than expressed by the All Progressive Congress [APC] governor of Kaduna. The Jonathan administration spent less than N350million for the independence day celebrations of 2012, 2013 and 2014. The press release dismissed El-Rufai as a serial liar as attested to by President Olusegun Obasanjo in his memoir.
The breakdown of the expenditure and the approved budget is shown below.
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PUBLIC NOTICE
JUST FOR RECORDS
2012, 2013 AND 2014 INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION PROGRAMME AND EXPENDITURE.
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2012 INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
| S/N | PROGRAMME | APPROVED BUDGET | COMMENT |
| 1. |
Special Jumat prayers |
N10 ,000,000.00 |
Done
|
| 2. |
International denominational church service |
N10 ,000,000.00 |
Done
|
| 3. |
Ceremonial change of guard parade
|
N4,000,000 |
Done |
| 4. |
Visit to hospitals/orphanages by the first lady and other women/children activities
|
N25,000,000.00 |
Done |
| 5. | Anniversary Lecture | N18,400,000.00 | Done
|
| 6. |
Dinner |
N40,200,000.00 |
Done
|
|
Total |
N107,600,000.00 |
Done
|
2013, INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
| S/N | PROGRAMME | APPROVED BUDGET | COMMENT |
|
1.
|
Special Jumat Prayer |
N10,000,000.00 |
Done
|
|
2. |
International denominational church service |
N10 ,000,000.00 |
Done
|
|
3. |
Visit to hospitals/orphanages by the first lady and other women/children activities
|
N25,000,000.00 |
Done
|
|
Total |
N45,000,000.00 |
Done
|
N/B
Following the directive of Mr. President that National Honours Award Investiture should be organised as part of the independence anniversary celebration. The budget for 2013 National Honours award investiture was proposed and approved for N174,800,000.00 alongside the independence celebration activities. However National Honours award investiture could not hold in 2013 and the approved budget was utilized to organise the investiture in 2014.
2014 INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATION
| S/N | PROGRAMME | APPROVED BUDGET | COMMENT |
| 1. |
Special Jumat prayers |
N15 ,000,000.00 |
Done
|
|
2. |
International denominational church service
|
N15 ,000,000.00 |
Done
|
| 3. |
National Honours Award
|
As budgeted and released in 2013 |
Done |
| 4. |
Public Presentation and review of transformation compendium
|
N120,000,000.00 |
Done |
| 5. | Independence anniversary broad cast. | State house | Done
|
|
6. |
Visit to hospitals/orphanages and other women and children activities |
N30,000,000.00 |
Done
|
|
Total |
N180,000.000.00 |
Done
|
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Press Release
We were taken aback by the recent comment reportedly credited to His Excellency, Governor Nasir El-Rufai where he claimed that the immediate past President, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration spent N64billion to cover the country independence anniversary spending in five years.
The break down, according to the governor showed that N13billion was spent in 2011, N15billion in 2012 and N14billion in 2013 and N22billion allegedly spent in 2014.
This tissue of lies was contained on his facebook comment on Thursday. Ordinarily, we would have allowed this to go as just ranting of a favour seeker , but for the sake of ordinary Nigerians who were abreast of happenings under the administration and also those who never did, we will like to set the record straight.
It is important to correct the misinformation so that the unsuspecting public would not be misled.
For the record, a breakdown of our anniversary spending between 2012 to 2014 amounted to N332.6million. We challenge the Office of the Government of the Federation (OSGF) to publish these details for the consumption of the public.
For the record, a breakdown of our spending for this event between 2012 and 2104 goes thus; 2012-107.6million; 2013-45million and 2014 had 180million. So, the question here is where did the billions as claimed by El-Rufai emanate from? Even though that of 2010 and 2011 are not handy now, but it should be known that they all fall within the same bracket as the one stated, except that the 2010 anniversary was a golden one when the country marked her 50 year of independence. But even then , not such outrageous sum was either budgeted or expended .
Again, it is germane to explain the increase in the 2013 anniversary spending for the purpose of accountability. The National Honours Award Investiture was incorporated into the celebration, thus making it two events in one, hence the N174,800,000.00 budget. We also want to add that the said award investiture could not hold in 2013 and the approved budget rolled over and was utilized to organise the investiture in 2014.
It is high time government functionaries desisted from abusing their immunity by destroying history and trading on lies just to gain cheap popularity or curry one favour or the other from certain quarters.
Perhaps President Olusegun Obasanjo was right in his assessment of El-Rufai when he said in his latest memoir, My Watch that his vivid recollection of him (El-Rufai)is his penchant for lying, for unfair embellishment of stories and his inability to sustain loyalty for long. That exactly is what El-Rufai has done with his ungodly fabrication of lies against Jonathan government.
One hopes that President Buhari would be on guard against being misled by the likes of El-Rufai who are hell bent on misinforming the Nigerian publics.
