BREAKING: El-Rufai Reveals Specifics Of Security Budget, Dares NASS To Present Budget Details Of N1 Trillion Budget In 10 Years

[caption id="attachment_18729" align="alignnone" width="750"]Governor Nasir el-Rufa’I of Kaduna State[/caption]

In response to the challenge by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara that governors especially that of Kaduna State to make public its Security Votes and Local Government expenditure, Governor Nasir el-Rufa’I has published specifics of his security budget.

READ HERE: Dogara Slams El-Rufai, ‘Tell Nigerians How You Spend Your Security Votes’ 

He also challenged the National Assembly to provide “further details on the opaque N115 billion (One Hundred and Fifteen Billion Naira) 2016 NASS budget.”

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El-Rufai said the challenge was a necessary step to improve and strengthen the country’s democracy.

In a statement on Monday by Samuel Aruwan, his Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, the governor said the budgets of all state governments in Nigeria are detailed out and presented at least under the headings of: personnel cost, overhead, and capital expenditure

According to el-rufa’I, the budget of the National Assembly is a single line item of over N100 billion that divulges zero information or details.

“NASS can at least break down its own single line budget into the hundreds of line items that are detailed in every state government budget in Nigeria. It is disingenuous to respond to every request for transparency by casting aspersions.”

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He boasted that the Kaduna State government has consistently made public all its budget details.

“In 2016, in an unprecedented step, the State published not only its own budget, but also that of all the 23 Local Government Councils online on the www.openkaduna.com.ng website.

“The Local Government budgets provide details of the recurrent and capital spending of every single LG in a transparent manner. The proposed 2017 LG Budgets, currently before the State Assembly, are also already online on the same website, and on www.kdsg.gov.ng. Approved State Budgets 2016-2017 can be found on http://openkaduna.com.ng/Budget/approved-budget. We invite the Right Honourable Speaker to download and peruse at his pleasure.”

Explaining how the state has utilized its security votes, it said it was spending on four pillars; Justice, Technology, Community Engagement and Support to Security Agencies. The 2017 budget details specific amounts:

a. N1.5bn (one and half billion naira) for the Procurement & Installation of CCTV Cameras for Monitoring and Surveillancetowards Reducing Criminal Activities within the Metropolis.
b. N193m (one hundred and ninety-three million naira) for Procurement of Geo-position Interceptor and location of GSM UMTS System to Check the Trends andIntercept/locate kidnappers’ GSM calls.
c. N265m (two hundred and sixty-five million naira) for the Procurement of Drones/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to identify locations of armed bandits in our Forest Reserves across the state and the Establishment of a Forensic Laboratory to assist in determining substantial evidence in cases that otherwise proved difficult in the past.
d. In addition, N2.6bn (two billion and six hundred million naira) is allocated in 2017 to support the network of federal Security Agencies in Kaduna with communications, logistics and materiel.

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4. Details of actual spending in 2015 for security and indeed every line item in the State budgets are also publicly available via the annual report of the Accountant-General accessible on www.kdsg.gov.ng.

5. The 2015 accounts of the Kaduna State Government have been audited, and the audit summary published in major newspapers and on the state website on 21st June 2016. The Accountant-General’s report for 2016 has been finalized and its audit is ongoing and will be published as usual. The audited state government accounts can also be found on http://openkaduna.com.ng/Budget/audited.

He pledged that the state government will continue to remain transparent and open in all its finances. “That is what we have promised to all our people and that is what our party, the APC and our President stand for. Malam Nasir El-Rufai is today making publicly available his pay-slip as Governor of Kaduna State.”

A detail of the governor’s pay slip for February puts his net salary at N470,521.74, with the following details:

Income

Deductions

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Basic Salary

N185,308.75

Hardship Allowance

N370,617.50

Gross Pay

N555,926.25

PAYE

N85,404.51

Total Deduction

N85,401.51

Net Pay

N470,521.74

Governor El-Rufai challenged the NASS leadership to do the same and disclose the details of the National Assembly budget, and the salaries and allowances of its leadership.

He said the call on the NASS for transparency was “not a personal one. It is one which the leadership of the National Assembly owes to all Nigerians. It is therefore disingenuous for the Speaker to use State Government budgets as the excuse for the opacity of the NASS budget.

“In 2016, the NASS budget for its 469 members was larger than thecapital budget of Kaduna State, with close to 10 million inhabitants. It is also larger than the entire budget of several Nigerian States. Indeed, over the past ten years from 2008, the NASS as an institution has cost the country over a trillion naira without any detail on how this amount was allocated and spent.”

“As you dey for there dey claim you holy so.
“I hope you holy pass Elijah sha.
“Hope you holy pass the prophet sha.
“And as you dey for there dey form Obama so.
“I hope you get all the credential sha.
“I hope the people vote you sha.”
Source: https://thewhistler.ng/story/2baba-gibes-politicians-critics-in-new-single-holy-holy
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