Presidency debunks reports of Tinubu’s request for presidential yacht

According to the presidency, the request was made by the Nigerian Navy and no the president.

The presidency has debunked reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration proposed an allocation of funds from the supplementary budget for the purchase of a N5 billion presidential yacht.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives claimed to have declined a proposal from the presidency, requesting for an allocation of funds to purchase the yacht. The reps, however, stated that the funds has been added to the student loan scheme.

Meanwhile, a Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has refuted such claims, stating that the request was made by the Navy, and not the president.

He said in statement, “It is important to state clearly that President Bola Tinubu did not ask for a presidential yatch and I doubt he needs one to perform the functions of his office.”

“From what I know, the request for a yacht, however it is named or couched in the budget is from the Navy and they must have operational reasons for why it is required.

“The budget office should be in a position to also explain to the public why such expenditure should be accommodated now, considering the economic situation of the country.

“I must readily admit that the one reason our budgeting system has been a subject of public attack is the very simplistic way some of the line items are described by civil servants, who prepare the budget.”