The Senator representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District (PDP), Abdul Ningi, has accused the Senate of padding the 2024 budget with about N3 trillion.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa on Saturday, March 9, Nini alleged that the appropriation bill passed by the lawmakers was different from what is being implemented, alleging that about N3 trillion had been padded in the budget.
Ningi, who’s the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, alleged that the Federal Government was operating an N28 trillion budget, contrary to the N25 trillion passed by the National Assembly.
According to the BBC, he said: “Apart from what the National Assembly did on the floor, there was another budget that was done underground which we didn’t know.
The new things we have discovered in the budget were not known to us. We haven’t seen them in the budget that was debated and considered on the floor of the National Assembly.
For example, it was said that there was a budget of N28 trillion but what was passed was N25 trillion. So there is N3 trillion on top. Where are they, where is it going? So, we need to know this. There are a lot of things.
For the first time in Nigerian history, today we are operating two different budgets. One budget was approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu and the other was implemented by the Presidency.
The one approved by us is N25 trillion while the one operated by the Federal Government is N28 trillion. Apparently, we discovered N3 trillion was inserted into the budgets without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Sen. Akpabio’s watch.
We resolved as people’s representative to see President Tinubu on this issue, with facts and figures, to ask him if he is aware of this embarra§§ment or not, then from there we will take action. Let Nigerians be patient with us.”
