Buhari transmits 2019 elections budget to Senate

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate, detailing that
Nigeria will need N254 billion (N254,445,322,600) to prosecute the
2019 general elections, hence requested the lawmaker to grant approval
for the sum to be drawn from the 2018 and 2019 budgets.

In the letter entitled, 'Request for virement and supplementary 2018
budget,' he also urged the lawmakers to remove projects earlier
inserted into the 2018 budget and replace them with priority projects
as contained in the original bill, insisting that he would not submit
a supplementary budget to fund the priority projects.

The letter made public on Tuesday contained the supplementary budget
of N242 billion (N242,445,322, 600) to fund six agencies in the 2019
general elections. Out of the total sum, N164 billion
(N164,104,792,065) will be drawn from the 2018 supplementary budget
while N78 billion (N78,314,530,535) will form part of the 2019 budget
of these agencies.

The letter reads in full…

Request for virement and supplementary 2018 budge

As you are aware, the 2019 general election is scheduled to be
conducted early in 2019. To ensure that adequate arrangements are made
for free and fair election, it has become necessary to appropriate
funds to enable the relevant agencies to commence preparations.

INEC and the security agencies have accordingly recently submitted
their requests and these have been subjected to the usual budget
evaluation. The aggregate cost of the election is estimated at N254,
445, 322,600. However, in line with the prevailing fiscal I'm
proposing that the sum of N164, 104, 792, 65 be provided for through
virement or supplementation of the 2018 budget. I propose that the
balance of N78, 340, 530, 535 mostly related to personnel allowances,
fuelling and other costs not required until election proper be
provided in their 2019 budget.

The proposal for the 2019 election is as summarised below:

INEC

2018 supplementary – N143, 512, 529, 445

2019 budget – N45, 695, 015,438

Total: N189, 207, 544, 893

Office of the National Security Adviser

2018 supplementary – N3, 855, 500, 000

2019 budget – 426, 000, 000

Total – 4, 281, 500,000

DSS

2018 supplementary – N2, 903, 638, 000

2019 budget – N9,309,644,455

Total – N12, 213, 282, 455

NSCDC

2018 supplementary – N1, 845, 597, 000

2019 budget – N1, 727, 997, 500

Total – N3, 573, 534, 500

Nigeria Police

2018 supplementary – N11, 457, 417, 432

2019 budget – N19, 083, 900, 000

Total – N30, 541, 317, 432

NIS

2018 supplementary – N530, 110, 078

2019 budget – N2, 098,033, 142

Total – N2, 628, 143, 320

Total amount (for 2019 election)

2018 supplementary – N164, 104, 792, 065

2019 budget – N78, 314, 530, 535

Total – N242, 445, 322, 600

You will also recall that when I signed the 2018 appropriation act, I
indicated the need for reinstatement of certain cuts made to certain
critical projects provided in the original executive bill. I'm
therefore submitting for your consideration the reinstatement of most
of the most critical of such cuts totalling N67, 742, 216, 150 which
are summarised in page one. The total amount required to be provided
for in the 2018 budget for the 2019 general election and to restore
the identified critical projects to the amount earlier proposed is
therefore N228, 854, 800, 250. Implementing a budget of N9.12 trillion
for 2018 would be extremely challenging and therefore, I do not
consider it expedient to propose a further increase to the size of the
2018 expenditure framework to fund these very important and critical
expenditure items.

Accordingly, I invite the distinguished senate to consider, in the
national interest, relocating some of the funds appropriated for the
new projects which were inserted into the 2018 budget proposal
totalling N 578, 319, 951, 904 to cover the sum of N228, 854, 800, 205
required as noted above.

A schedule sitting out a comprehensive list of these inserted projects
is attached to this letter for ease of your consideration.

Further to the above, kindly find attached a supplementary budget and
virement proposal for your consideration.

While hoping that this request will expeditious consideration of the
distinguished senate, please accept, Mr Senate President, the
assurances of my highest consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Muhammadu Buhari