Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has come under scrutiny for spending over N6 billion in 2024 on renovating the Government House, despite allocating a staggering N16 billion for the same purpose in 2023.
According to the 2024 state budget performance report, the state government spent N6,042,188,850.35 on the “renovation, expansion, and furnishing” of the Government House in Bauchi. The report, publicly available on the state government’s website, highlights the significant expenditure made within just nine months of the year.
This comes on the heels of revelations from the 2023 audited report, which showed that the government spent N16 billion on similar renovations during the previous fiscal year.
The 2023 audit report disclosed that the contract for upgrading the Government House was initially awarded to M/S Architectronix Limited for N6.6 billion. However, a contract variation increased the total cost to N16.1 billion—a sharp deviation from the N6 billion reported in the 2023 budget performance document.
Contract variations occur when adjustments are made to the scope or terms of a project, often leading to cost increases. This discrepancy raises questions about financial transparency and accountability, as the budget performance report for the fourth quarter of 2023 stated that N6 billion was both approved and expended for the project.
The audit report, however, revealed that an additional N10 billion was spent, which was not reflected in the state’s official budget performance report. Furthermore, the audit noted the government failed to account for N23.1 million intended for the purchase of a project vehicle that was never procured.
The 2023 audit findings also revealed that Bauchi State generated N34.2 billion in internally generated revenue (IGR) for the year. This means that nearly 50% of the state’s IGR was spent on upgrading the Government House, sparking public concerns over the prioritization of state resources.
