Senate Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume has disclosed that the controversial N5 billion presidential yacht deal included in the 2023 supplementary budget has already been signed and delivered.
Ndume made this shocking revelation on Friday, during an interview with Arise Television.
The senator said, “The deal has been signed and delivered, but not paid, and that’s what brought the inclusion of the amount (N5 billion) in the supplementary budget.”
President Bola Tinubu had proposed N5.095 billion on a presidential yacht in the 2023 supplementary budget submitted to the National Assembly for approval.
Amidst the current economic situation in the country, the presidential yacht has been met with public outrage as Nigerians have criticized the plan as a waste of money on luxuries.
Recall that on Thursday, shortly after the passage of the bill, the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives, Abubakar Bichi from Kano State, told newsmen that the presidential yacht included in the budget had been removed by the committee and added to the Student Loans.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, also clarifying on Thursday, in a statement, titled “The facts on the Naval boat in the 2023 supplementary budget”, claimed that the said yacht had been ordered by former president Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“What was named as a presidential yacht in the budget is an operational Naval boat with specialised security gadgets suitable for high-profile operational inspection and not for the use of the President.
“The Naval boat was ordered by the Navy under the previous administration.”
