The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen George Akume, has budgeted the sum of N108 million to plan and organise Presidential Media Chat for the commemoration of Mr. President’s 100 days in office.
Documents sighted by LEADERSHIP show that the letter, dated 23rd August 2023, was signed by Sen. George Akume himself, who also chaired the committee responsible for organising the event.
The committee includes high-ranking officials such as the permanent secretary, State House; the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information, and the special adviser to the President on Media. The terms of reference for the committee according to the letter were stated clearly: “To plan and organise the Presidential Media Chat for the President’s 100-day milestone.”
However, what has raised eyebrows is the staggering cost associated with this event. The breakdown of expenses presented in the letter included: Media Chat – N108,000,000.00 and Logistics – N6,000,000.00.
This totals a significant N114 million. The letter also urged Mr. President to consider and approve this allocation for the execution of the program, citing its significance and potential benefits.
The budgeting of such a substantial amount of money for a single event has raised concerns about prudence under the current harsh economic conditions.
The letter of request does not say exactly what the money was meant for or why a media chat should cost N108m.
The director of Press for OSGF, Willy Bassey, while responding to LEADERSHIP enquiry said any financial releases are confirmed with the Federal Ministry of Finance.
He said, “I am not aware of the expenditure of N108 million by the Office of the Secretary General of the Federation (OSGF) on the above event. Financial releases are usually from the Federal Ministry of Finance.
“Carry out due diligence first to ascertain if such release has been made in favour of OSGF, please. I’m available for any explanation you may require. Thanks.”
