Senator Ali Ndume Confirms Presidential Yacht Deal Signed and Delivered

Senator Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of the Senate, confirmed the signing and delivery of the presidential yacht deal.

During an interview with Arise Television, Ndume revealed that the deal for the presidential yacht had been finalized, but the payment for this agreement had not been made.

He 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.”

Recall that the House of Representatives rejected the federal government’s plan to purchase a N5 billion presidential yacht included in the supplementary budget.

The presidential yacht has angered the public as Nigerians believe it’s a waste of money, considering the country’s economic situation.

President Bola Tinubu presented a supplementary budget to the National Assembly, which included the intended purchase of the yacht under the Nigerian Navy’s proposed capital spending of $53 million.

The presidency said that the ‘Presidential Yacht’ in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill is not meant for Bola Tinubu’s personal use.

The presidency said the naval boat bears such a classification “because of the high-level security features.”

“What was named as a presidential yacht in the budget is an operational Naval boat with specialized security gadgets suitable for high-profile operational inspection and not for the use of the President.”

Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made this statement on Thursday.

The Presidency’s statement, titled “The facts on the Naval boat in the 2023 supplementary budget,” reads, “The Naval boat was ordered by the Navy under the previous administration.

“President Bola Tinubu has consistently said that government is a continuum, as he inherited both the assets and liabilities of past administrations.

“The payment request for the boat was part of the committed obligation submitted by the office of the Chief of Naval Staff to the Ministry of Defense, the Presidency noted, adding that “the total of the submitted requests was more than N200 billion, out of which N62 billion was approved by the President.”

Kanyi Daily recalls that the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial district, Ali Ndume had declared his intention to contest the Senate Presidency seat in the 10th National Assembly.