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Breakdown of Controversial 2019 Election Budget at a Glance

Published

8 years ago

August 18, 2018

Eric

The Federal Government budgeted N242.45 billion for the execution of the 2019 general elections to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

President Muhammadu Buhari made this known in a letter sent to the National Assembly for scrutiny and approval of the sum which will be drawn from the 2018 and 2019 budgets, shortly before they went on recess

Buhari urged the lawmakers to remove projects earlier inserted into the budget and replace them with priority projects as contained in the original bill. However, the passing of the budget bill has continually hit brick wall as a combination of time, suspicion and political intrigues has been its bane.

After days of postponement and dilly dallying, a joint House Committee was set up to consider the budget, but like everything that came from the executive, the House uncovered areas where items were duplicated. So far, no progress has been made to give the budget a clean bill of health.

Here, once again, is the breakdown of the 2019 election spending proposal:

Independent National Electoral Commission, 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 – N426, 000, 000

Total – N4, 281, 500,000

Department of State Security

2018 supplementary – N2, 903, 638, 000

2019 budget – N9,309,644,455

Total – N12, 213, 282, 455

Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps

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

Nigeria Immigration Service

2018 supplementary – N530, 110, 078

2019 budget – N2, 098,033, 142

Total – N2, 628, 143, 320

The Total amount for the election

2018 supplementary – N164, 104, 792, 065

2019 budget – N78, 314, 530, 535

Grant Total – N242, 445, 322, 600

A further breakdown of the 2018 virement proposal contains as follows: N310 million for the NSCDC to feed and administer drugs to dogs that will be deployed in states for the 2019 elections; N7 million for the police to feed 50 horses that would be used for patrol during the elections, which will take place between February 16 and March 2, 2019; N499.5 million for hiring of speedboats; N87.5 million by the police for the maintenance of aircraft and N407 million for maintenance of the vehicles to be used for election monitoring; and N126 million by the Nigerian Immigration Service for printing name tags for its personnel that would be involved in the elections while N166 million was requested for pre-election training, among other sundry items.

A majority of Nigerians have however, condemned the proposal as being ‘too much’.

Featured

Tinubu Appoints Bianca Ojukwu As Foreign Affairs Minister

Published

3 hours ago

April 29, 2026

Eric

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Nigeria’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The announcement was contained in a statement released on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy).

The appointment followed the resignation of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, who stepped down to participate in preparations for the 2027 elections.

According to the statement, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s elevation marks a return to a more senior role within Nigeria’s foreign service architecture, having previously served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Her new appointment places her at the helm of Nigeria’s diplomatic engagements, where she is expected to oversee the country’s foreign policy direction, strengthen international partnerships, and advance economic diplomacy objectives.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, following the resignation of Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, who stepped down to participate in the 2027 elections.

“Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu previously served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

The Presidency noted that the decision forms part of ongoing efforts to reposition Nigeria’s foreign policy framework for greater efficiency and stronger global engagement. It added that the new minister is expected to deepen diplomatic relations, promote Nigeria’s national interest, and ensure the welfare of Nigerians abroad remains a priority.

In the same announcement, President Tinubu also nominated Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, subject to Senate confirmation.

Enikanolaiye, from Kogi State, previously served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations. He is a seasoned diplomat with over three decades of service in Nigeria’s foreign affairs system and has held key postings in Addis Ababa, Belgrade, Ottawa, London, and New Delhi.

The Presidency said the appointments are part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s foreign policy architecture and improve the country’s global diplomatic engagement.

Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu is a lawyer, diplomat, and former beauty queen who has had a long career in public service and international diplomacy.

She was born on 5 August 1967 in Anambra State and studied law at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1992 after attending the Nigerian Law School in Lagos.

Her academic background includes a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio in Spain, as well as postgraduate diplomas in Human Rights and International Relations from the Berg Institute, Madrid, and in Dynamics of Conflict and Cooperation from the University for Peace in Costa Rica.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu previously served as Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Diaspora Matters and later became Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain from 2012 to 2015, where she also represented the country at the UN World Tourism Organization. She earlier served as Ambassador to Ghana.

She was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in October 2024 by President Bola Tinubu, where she supported Nigeria’s external affairs portfolio, including diplomacy, consular engagement, and international relations strategy. She has now been appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Nairametrics

Featured

2027: Lagos APC Guber Aspirant Rejects Hamzat As Consensus Candidate

Published

14 hours ago

April 29, 2026

Eric

All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Samuel Ajose, has declared that the endorsement of Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat as the next governor by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) will not stand.

GAC, regarded as the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, endorsed Hamzat, as its consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

The decision was reached during a closed-door meeting held at Lagos House, Marina, indicating an early alignment within the ruling party ahead of the next electoral cycle.

Speaking after the session, GAC leader, Tajudeen Olusi, said members unanimously agreed on Hamzat, expressing confidence in his ability to sustain and build on the state’s developmental progress.

Olusi explained that the meeting was convened to deliberate on the party’s forthcoming primaries and assess the governorship position ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking about the GAC adoption of Hamzat as Lagos APC consensus 2027 governorship candidate on Arise News on Tuesday, Ajose said that Sanwo-Olu and others are trying to force President Tinubu into making a decision.

“I don’t think our president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is giving in to what they are doing.

“What they are just trying to do is to coerce him into taking a decision, and I don’t think that decision will stand.”

Featured

2027: Obi, South-East Leaders Meet Jonathan Behind Closed Doors

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2026

Eric

A presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi, on Monday, consulted former President Goodluck Jonathan on the state of the nation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Obi disclosed this after a closed-door meeting with the former president in Abuja. He led a delegation of South-East political leaders to the meeting, including serving and former lawmakers, as well as former Governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, the former Anambra State governor said the visit was part of ongoing consultations ahead of the 2027 elections.

“Notable South-East leaders have come in consultation with our respected former president. That is basically what it is—on the 2027 elections and, overall, about Nigeria,” Obi said.

Obi has been holding meetings with political heavyweights across the country as part of ongoing consultations ahead of the ADC presidential primary for the 2027 general elections.

Last week, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party was in Bauchi with South-East leaders, where they held a closed-door meeting with Bala Mohammed.

Speaking after the meeting, Obi said the visit was focused on building national unity and strengthening cooperation across regions.

“My purpose is to solicit the support and cooperation of His Excellency and the stakeholders of Bauchi and the North-East in our quest to unite this country. We want to have a united country to build a future for our children.

“The country cannot continue the way it is today; we are headed in the wrong direction, and we need to reverse that for everybody. That is the simple purpose of why we are here – to seek the support of the stakeholders of Bauchi in building a new Nigeria that will be of benefit to all,” he added.