FG budgets N9bn for generators

The government of Nigeria plans to spend N9.05bn on the purchase, maintenance and fuelling of generators across the Ministries, Departments and Agencies nationwide.

The government also earmarked a separate N75.4m for maintenance and fuelling of generators in some of its foreign missions abroad.

The details are contained in the 2020 budget proposal which was submitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.
The sum to be spent on generators may be much higher as several agencies such as the Independent National Electoral Commission and the National Health Insurance Scheme which have offices nationwide, failed to provide a breakdown of their budgets.

The government has budgeted the sum despite claims that power had improved drastically.
The N9bn earmarked for generators by the federal gvernment is more than the Internally Generated Revenue of Bauchi, Abia, Zamfara, Kogi, Anambra, Bayelsa, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Borno, Taraba, Yobe and Gombe states in the first and second quarters of 2019..

The agency of the government with the largest single budget for generators is the Nigerian Army which set aside N518.3m for fuelling of generators alone while no amount was earmarked for maintenance.

In the second position is the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which is asking for N64.5m for maintenance, N166.6m for fuelling of the generators and N82.2m to purchase a new generator, a combined N313.4m.

Holding the third position is the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation which is asking for N255m to fuel its generators and another N27m to maintain the generators, a combined N283.7m.