Controversial N5 Billion Presidential Yacht Deal Already Signed and Delivered, Says Senator Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume, the Senate Chief Whip, revealed that the controversial N5 billion presidential yacht deal, which caused a stir in the 2023 supplementary budget, has already been signed and delivered. Senator Ndume shared this information during an interview with Arise Television on Friday.

“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,” Senator Ndume stated.

This revelation comes in the midst of public outrage over the proposed N5.095 billion presidential yacht, which was part of President Bola Tinubu’s supplementary budget submission to the National Assembly for approval. Given the challenging economic situation in the country, many Nigerians have criticized the allocation of funds for what they perceive as a luxury item.

Following the passage of the bill on Thursday, Abubakar Bichi, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives from Kano State, informed the press that the committee had removed the presidential yacht from the budget and redirected the funds to Student Loans.

Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, also clarified on Thursday in a statement titled “The facts on the Naval boat in the 2023 supplementary budget.” He claimed that the so-called presidential yacht was, in fact, an operational naval boat equipped with specialized security gadgets suitable for high-profile operational inspections, and not intended for the personal use of the President. Onanuga further asserted that the naval boat had been ordered by the Navy under the previous administration led by former President Muhammadu Buhari.