Students kick as Tinubu’s govt allocates N25b on Shettima, Gbaja’s residence, just N5b for student loans

Students kick as Tinubu’s govt allocates N25b on Shettima, Gbaja’s residence, just N5b for them as loans

 

Going by details of the 2024 budget, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government has shown that the comfort of its officials is far more important than the education of millions of Nigerian students.

The 2024  budget proposal which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented last week to a joint session of the National Assembly, shows the allocation for renovation of Vice President Kashim Shettima official residence to be N15 billion. 

The budget also shows N10 billion allocated for reconstruction and repair of the Chief of Staff’s official residence. 

Former House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, is the chief of Staff.  He will also get N104 million for purchase of computers and printers,  N579 million for ‘local and foreign travels, including training, and N103 million for miscellaneous expenses. He will also get another N290 million for purchase of vehicles.  The budget for Gbajabiamila’s office total N21 billion. 

Almost a million Nigerian students will however make do with N5 billion as the allocation for students loan. 

Although the House of Representatives has removed a controversial N5 billion  presidential yacht item in the 2023 supplementary budget and transferred it to students loan totaling N10 billion.

But the Tinubu’s government allocation of just N5 billion for loan of all Nigerian students and N25 billion for renovation of two residence of Shettima and Gbajabiamila, has caused outrage on social media. 

@Morris_Monye said: “Students loan for millions of students is N5bn Shettima’s house renovation is N15bn Gbaja house renovation is N10bn Nigerian Politicians are the wickedest people on earth. Really hate and detest them with a passion.”

@FS_Yusuf_ said: “Students loan for millions of students is N5 Billion Shettima’s house renovation is N15 Billion Gbaja house renovation is N10 Billion Gbaja computer gadget is N10.1 Billion Ahhhh. Obidients will cry for 8 years oo”

@IkukuomaC said: “Money budgeted for the maintenance of Aso Rock is higher than the money budgeted for Student loan The figures are Aso Rock maintenance 6 billion Students loan for millions of students is N5bn Shettima’s house renovation is N15bn Now watch Godswill Akpabio photocopy all this proposal at first glance Renewed hopelessness.”

@aai_austin said: “Students loan N5bn and we have over 500,000 students all over Nigeria. Can you imagine the wickedness and the financial impropriety. …And students are expected to return this same money o! Nigeria no work abeg.”