News Highlights:
- The Permanent Secretary of the State House, Mr. Olufunso Adebiyi, announced plans to fully digitalize State House operations by November 2024.
- During an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Special Duties, Adebiyi updated lawmakers on the State House’s budget implementation.
The Permanent Secretary of the State House, Mr. Olufunso Adebiyi, announced on Tuesday that the State House aims to fully digitalize its operations by November 2024.
Adebiyi revealed this during an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Special Duties to the data center located within the presidential villa in Abuja.
The Permanent Secretary stated that completing the computerization and digitalization process would improve efficiency, strengthen security, and streamline the operation of key administrative functions at the State House.
The visit, led by the Chairman of the House Committee on Special Duties, Hon. Kabir Tukura, was part of the legislators’ statutory oversight to evaluate the implementation of the 2023 and 2024 State House budgets.
Adebiyi also updated the lawmakers on the ongoing renovations at Dodan Barracks in Lagos, the former seat of government, and assured them that the renovations are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
He invited the legislators to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the barracks, noting that funding for this project, as well as others at the Lagos Liaison office, was sourced from the 2023 supplementary budget and the 2024 budget, respectively.
During his presentation on the implementation of the 2023/2024 budget, the Permanent Secretary emphasized that the State House had achieved a 43 percent implementation rate for capital projects in 2024 and an impressive 99 percent for overhead expenditure.
He explained that the total overhead expenditure for the State House in 2024 amounted to N22.62 billion, allocated across seven cost centres: State House Headquarters, State House Operations for the President, State House Operations for the Vice President, Office of the Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Security Officer to the President, State House Medical Centre, and Lagos Liaison Office.
”Out of this appropriated amount, so far as at 31 August 2024, the total sum of N15.08billion has been released to us; and of the said released amount, a total of N14.9billlion has so far been expended during the fiscal year, leaving an outstanding balance of N14.5million. This represents an encouraging performance of 99 per cent,” Adebiyi said.
On capital expenditure, Adebiyi noted that N51.3billion was appropriated for 2024, with N22 billion spent, leaving a balance of N29.3 billion, representing 43 per cent implementation.
The Permanent Secretary commended the Committee members for approving an increased budget allocation to State House in the 2024 appropriation, particularly given the considerable demand from various cost centres during the challenging fiscal year.
“This has gone a long way in enhancing our performance as an important arm of government, especially with regards to the welfare of staff and various capital projects, such as the renovation of the residential quarters of the President, Aguda House, computerization and digitalization of State House, construction of office complex, replacement of operation vehicles and others,” he said.
The State House chief accounting officer further presented the 2023 budget and supplementary budget performances.
In his remarks, Hon. Tukura expressed satisfaction with the ongoing digital transformation and commended State House for its commitment to budgetary discipline and modernizing government services.
