Navy confirms N5bn yacht delivery, faces payment crisis over NASS opposition
By Matthew Atungwu
The Nigerian Navy confirmed on Friday that it had accepted delivery of the N5 billion presidential yacht that the Federal Government intended to purchase, amidst a heated controversy about the item detailed in the 2023 supplemental budget that was presented to the National Assembly.
In a chat with newsmen on Friday, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, the Director of Information for the Nigerian Navy, said that the yacht had been in the country since June 2023.
He explained that the service made a “long overdue request” for the replacement of the defunct presidential yacht during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. He stressed that the yacht was for training.
Meanwhile, indications have emerged that the payment for the yacht may suffer delay, given the opposition by the two chambers of the National Assembly, in which case the federal lawmakers refused to approve the payment for the yacht. Thus, while the yacht has been delivered to the country, how the government would raise money for it remains to be seen in the coming days and months.
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Earlier on Friday, the Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, clarified during an interview on Arise TV that the presidential yacht had been signed and delivered before the public outcry, even though it had not been paid for. “The deal for the yacht has been agreed, signed, and delivered but not paid for,” he noted.
Ndume noted that the Senate queried the amount budgeted for the yacht, but that it was signed for a dollar rate, and that the new rate was no longer favorable. He pointed out that the budget was predicated on N435, but that the rate was now over N800/dollar.
He said the navy also clarified that it was not a new budget and that even the House of Representatives moved the budgeted sum to the Student Loan.
Ndume explained that the N5bn earmarked for the yacht was included in the supplementary budget because it had yet to be paid for. “When we saw that amount, we queried it. When we asked those questions, the navy explained that this was not a new item. I know the President is not a luxurious person, he won’t go for that.”