Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, revealed that the controversial presidential yacht deal, included in the supplementary budget, has been signed and delivered but not yet paid for. Ndume made this disclosure in an interview with Arise Television, stating that the N5 billion allocation for the yacht's purchase in the supplementary budget was to cover the pending payment.
The proposal to acquire the presidential yacht in the supplementary budget had sparked public outrage and faced opposition in the House of Representatives. Critics argued that such an expenditure on luxury items was inappropriate given Nigeria's current economic challenges.
President Tinubu had submitted the supplementary budget to the National Assembly, listing the presidential yacht under the Nigerian Navy's proposed capital expenditure, totaling $53 million.
Responding to the controversy, the presidency clarified that the item labeled 'Presidential Yacht' in the budget was actually an operational naval boat with specialized security equipment suitable for high-profile operational inspections and not intended for the President's personal use. The boat had been ordered by the Navy during a previous administration, and President Tinubu had inherited both the assets and liabilities of past administrations. Of the N200 billion in submitted payment requests, only N62 billion was approved by the President, according to the statement by the Presidency's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
