FG allocates ₦9.3bn for ‘software acquisition’ in Immigration

TRACKING___The federal government has earmarked over ₦9.31 billion in the proposed 2021 national budget for the acquisition of “computer software” by the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS.

The service had few years ago digitised most of its processes including payments to minimise extortion by criminal elements.

President Muhammadu Buhari had last Thursday presented the 2021 appropriation bill of N13.08 trillion to a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The Immigration Service will also spend over ₦97.78 million on monitoring and evaluation and another ₦207.5 million on the ongoing reactivation of surveillance aircraft as well as purchase of aircraft maintenance kits.

The service has a total recurrent cost of ₦56.2 billion and a capital expenditure of over ₦16.64 billion in the appropriation bill.

For the Nigerian Correctional Service NCoS, the federal government is proposing to spend over ₦4.31 billion on the ongoing construction of a 3,000 capacity Model Prison in Kano, Abuja, Boro and Damaturu; additional cells in Maiduguri New Prison, construction of 14 satellite prisons and barracks in Nafada, Bagoro, Kubacha, Tambuwal, Gwaram and Birnin Kudu as well as the completion of prisons nationwide.

Also, the ongoing replacement and maintenance of farm equipment and machineries for mechanised farm production would gulp over ₦580.9 million, while the procurement of Pick-up Vans, Mini Maria, Green Maria, Ambulance, Jeep, Sewage trucks, Water Tanker, Sedan Cars and supply two coaster buses to Kachina and Kagoro prisons is to gulp ₦1.14billion.

On its part, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC was allocated ₦81.9 million for teg procurement of dog handling equipment as well as feeding and maintenance of dogs.

The corps was also allocated ₦232.42 million for the purchase of arms, ammunitions and system management, and another ₦1.7 billion for teg purchase of operational pick-up vans.

The Federal Fire Service FFS was allocated ₦170.43 million for another ₦ purchase of motor vehicles and ₦2.89 for the purchase of fire fighting equipment.
The service also has a proposed budget expenditure of ₦91.72 million for “kitting of armed forces personnel”.

The sum of ₦130.9 million was also earmarked for recruitment and appointment (provision for feeding and logistics of new intakes training) as well as another ₦69.75 million for procurement of “necessary furniture and replacement of bad furniture for headquarters, 12 zonal commands, states command and stations across the nation.

All four paramilitary services are under the Ministry of Interior whose total proposed budget, including those of the services and the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board was put at ₦271,666,471,225.