The Bauchi State government claimed it has spent N40 million to renovate and furnish its lodge in Abuja.
This was detailed in the state’s first-quarter budget performance report analysed by WikkiTimes.
According to the report, the state government budgeted N250 million for the project.
However, this is not the first time the state would expend funds on the same project.
The Bauchi Accountability Mechanism, a local watchdog group, highlighted on its X (formerly Twitter) account that the same lodge was renovated three years ago.
In 2021, N350 million was allocated for the renovation and furnishing of the Bauchi State Lodge in Abuja under the Ministry of Environment and Housing.
“N350 million was allocated in Bauchi State 2021 #Budget, under the Ministry of Environment and Housing for the Renovation and Furnishing of Bauchi State Lodge at #Abuja,” the group posted, adding that it tracked the project and it was ongoing.
However, WikkiTimes could not find the details of the project in the 2021 budget documents.
Although N100 million was budgeted for the same project in 2023, there were no indications that the money was released.
Efforts to reach Mukhtar Gidado, the Special Adviser to the Bauchi State governor, for clarification proved abortive. As of press time, he has not responded to calls or messages sent to him.
Analysts have, however, shown a growing concern over financial mismanagement and prioritization by state governments. They further called for a more prudent and needs-focused allocation of resources to alleviate poverty and address the basic needs of the citizens.
Comrade Mohammed Ishaq, a Bauchi-based activist, lamented how the state governments lavishly spend on government lodges while citizens grapple with severe poverty.
“There is no crime in states having a lodge in Abuja due to their official assignments at the central level. However, the problem arises when governors exploit this by incurring dubious or unnecessary expenditures for these lodges while their masses suffer from hunger,” he said.
Comrade Ishaq highlighted the issue of budgeting for state government lodges and governor’s lodges separately, describing it as a case of duplicating allocations for a single project. “It’s an example of the government duplicating allocations for a single project.”
