How State Governments Spend N14.7billion On Refreshments, Sitting Allowances Despite Critical Infrastructure Needs....Read Full Article>>
In this report, SaharaReporters examines how states have spent billions on items such as refreshments, honorariums and sitting allowances.
At least 10 Nigerian states grappling with underdevelopment such as absence of clean drinking water to poor health infrastructure, among others have been found lavishing public funds on.
In this report, SaharaReporters examines how states have spent billions on items such as refreshments, honorariums and sitting allowances.
The report also examines the lavish expenses of state governments amid huge debts.
In Katsina State for instance, refreshment and meals took N335.6 million, honorarium and Sitting Allowance took N78.2 million in the nine months period between January and September.
In Bayelsa State, refreshment and meals took N334 million while honorarium and sitting allowance took N689.5 million, all in the nine months period between January and September, 2024.
This would mean that the state spent the sum of N1 billion on refreshment, meals and honorarium in the period under review.
Osun state spent N527 million on refreshment and meals, while honorarium and sitting allowance stood at N764.3 million. These totals N1.291 billion.
The figure spent by Ondo state stood at N350.4 million for refreshment and meals, while
honorarium and sitting allowance took N111 million. This would total N461 million.
A total sum of N3.351 billion was spent by Niger state on refreshment and meals including sitting allowance.
Plateau State spent N2.565 billion on refreshment and meals while honorarium and sitting allowance took N154.1 million. These totals N2.7 billion.
In Adamawa state refreshment and meals took N710.8 million, while honorarium and sitting allowance gulped N360.3 million
Bauchi state refreshment and meals stood at N440.8 million, while honorarium and sitting allowance stood at N1.347 billion.
Kogi State spent N2.6 billion on Honorarium, refreshment, meals.
Zamfara refreshment and meals cost stood at N49.7 million, while honorarium and sitting allowances stood at N10.1 million.
In total, the ten states sampled for this report had a total N14.780 billion expenditure for honorarium and sitting allowance.
What Could This Money Have Done?
In Osun state, there have been reports of poor public water supply.
Assuming that 50% of the N1.291 billion (N645.5 million), spent on honorarium, refreshment and sitting allowance was spent on water provision, the Osun state government could have spent over four times what it spent on the state capital expenditure for its water corporation.
Between January and September 2024, the state spent N122 million on capital expenditure of its water corporation despite having a budget of N5.290 billion for the same purpose.
Osun state polytechnic in Iree recorded only 24.7% capital expenditure performance (N324 million) between January and September 2024, which would mean that the 50% of the money spent by the state for refreshment and honorarium, could have been used to have more capital expenditure performance for the polytechnic.
Recently, lecturers of the polytechnic for instance threatened strike, over poor welfare .
In Ondo state, if 50% of the total amount spent on refreshment and honorarium is deployed to boreholes, the state would have a better performance for its line item “drilling of boreholes” in the state budget performance document.
Review shows that the Ondo state rural water supply agency budgeted the sum of N470.4 million for “drilling boreholes and allied matters”, however, as of January to September, only N15 million was spent, assuming the state deployed 50% of its expenditure on honorarium and refreshments on drilling boreholes, it would have been able to spend N252 million instead.
In what could be described as admission of poor water to the state of Ondo state, in 2024, the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, noted that 38% of households in the state have access to potable water, subtly admitting failure of 62% of the population in the state to access such.
Ondo state also has an unpleasant history with Cholera.
The National Bureau of Statistics corroborates this assertion, noting that 51% of households in Ondo state lack access to clean drinking water while another 66% lack access to sanitary facilities.
Plateau state spent N2.7 billion on honorarium and sitting allowance, assuming the state spent 50% of this amount (N1.350 billion) on its water board capital expenditure, it would have achieved more expenditure than the N1.529 billion it spent on the same.
The state would also have had more expenditure than the N480 million spent on capital expenditure of the state university at Bokkos.
The expenditure stood only at 23.6% of the proposed N2 billion capital expenditure for the varsity.
Huge Debts, More Enjoyment for State Governments in Nigeria
On many occasions state governments in Nigeria have lamented poor revenue, Infact, many states are still owing the Central Bank of Nigeria in terms of salary bailouts and budget supports, however this has not stopped different sub-national governments from spending lavishly per details of their budget performance documents.
For instance Bauchi state owes N147 billion domestically as of June 2024, Plateau state owes N101 billion domestically, Adamawa state owes N102.9 billion domestically.
For instance, Plateau state budget to spend N262 million on special days/celebrations and award festivals, already, it has spent N81.7 million between January and September,2024.
The state budgeted N2.2 billion for getting a guest house for its house of assembly, already it has spent N956.3 million between January and September, 2024.
The situation is not different in Bauchi state, between January and September the state spent N209 million on renovation of government guest houses in the state capital.
It also budgeted to spend N106 million for vehicles to twenty principal officials of the state house of assembly.
Katsina state budgeted to spend N357 million on special days and celebrations, already between January and September, the state has spent N305.5 million on special days and celebrations.
Zamfara state spent N580 million already on special days and celebrations between January and September despite having a budget of N305.8 million for the same.
The state also budgeted N4.5 billion for foodstuff and catering materials, it has already spent N804.5 million between January and September of the year.
Already, asides developmental issues, residents of Nigerian states are languishing in poverty and unemployment.
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