Businessday :: News you can trust

As if to show that epileptic power supply has become a permanent feature in Nigeria, the Federal Government, its agencies and the National Assembly have budgeted over N2 billion for the fuelling and maintenance of their generators in 2009.
Details of the expenditure obtained by Business Day showed that in the 2009 fiscal year, ministries, departments and parastatals are to spend more than N2 billion to fuel and maintain generating sets.
State House, seat of power and home of the president, according to the details of the expenditure, has budgeted N27 million to fuel its generators in 2009 and another N14.3 million for their maintenance.
Police formations across the country on their part will spend N110 million in maintaining and fuelling the generating sets in the fiscal year.
For the National Assembly, over N466.2 million will be expended on alternative power supply in 2009. This is made up of N233 million for acquiring and maintaining new generators and an additional N63 million for fuelling generators and a further N57.2 million on maintenance.  
Another N55 million will be spent on maintenance of generating sets in the White House section which houses the main chambers of both arms of the National Assembly and another N58 million on fuelling the generators that power the buildings located beside the edifice.
Other budgets for ministries and parastatals for similar purposes are works, housing and urban development (N48 million); justice (N20 million), labour (N4.3 million); fire service (N21 million); and office of the Head of Service of the Federation (N40 million).
Others are Immigration and Prisons Service Board (N11 million); Civil Defence Corps (N115 million); Prisons Service (N18.4 million); Immigration Service (N76 million); ministry of interior (N182 million) and communications (N32 million).
Also involved in the huge expenditure to generate alternative energy are the ministries of commerce and industry (N35 million); information and communications (N43 million) and ministry of youth development (N6 million).
Not left out are the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC) which will spend N35 million on fuelling its generating sets in the year and another N5 million for maintenance. 
The ministry of defence is expected to spend N50 million in maintaining its generators sets and another N39.5 million to fuel them while the Navy will spend N63.019 million on generators.
The ministry of foreign affairs will spend N58.5 million on fuelling its generators and another N25 million to maintain them while it will also spend between N400,000 to N500,000 on fuelling and maintaining the generating sets in its missions in African countries. 
The missions include Liberia and Sierra Leone, where N443, 000 has been budgeted on fuelling and another N179, 000 on maintenance.
The ministry of finance on its part will spend N105.4 million on generating sets while another N49.2 million is for their maintenance.