Budget Padding: Senate Set For A Rowdy Session; Senator Ningi Under Fire

The Nigerian Senate is set for a rowdy session when they meet this week over allegation that the 2024 Budget was padded.

A senator, Abdul Ningi had alleged that the Budget was padded by the presidency, a situation that has put the Senate under crossfire, particularly after the Presidency denied padding the monetary document.

The controversy has led to the Senate summoning an emergency meeting on Tuesday this week where the issue will be discussed.

A source informed the magazine that some sanctions are likely to be applied to “ensure that the upper chamber is not put in disrepute” by some divisive elements in the Senate.

The source did not say whether Senator Ningi will be suspended or sanctioned for throwing up the controversy that has now set the Senate and the Presidency against each other.

While raising the allegation last week, Senator Ningi alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was operating two versions of the budget, saying that the presidency has padded the budget with over N3 trillion, from the N25 trillion passed the Nigeria Upper House in December last year.

Ningi who spoke under the banner of Northern Senators’ Forum told the BBC Hausa Service in aninterview, that the National Assembly debated and passed N25 Trillion as 2024 budget and not the N28.7 Trillion that is being implemented by the Federal Government.

The senator also accused president Tinubu of favouring the south in the budget, adding that the north has been roundly shortchanged.

The presidency has however denied the allegation saying the National Assembly padded the budget and not the executive.

In a statement released by Bayo Onanuga on Sunday, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, the Tinubu-led administration stated that the budget passed by the NASS is the one being implemented by the president.

The statement said Senator Ningi made ‘wild claims’ that President Tinubu has abandoned the budget passed by the NASS.

The presidency said Senator Ningi expressed “strange view” by saying that President Tinubu was implementing a different budget from the ones passed by the NASS.

He said Senator Ningi expressed “primordial antics to fuel divisive  rhetoric” in the country by saying that the budget did not favour the north.

Part of the statement read: “To begin with, President Tinubu on November 29, 2023 presented a budget of N27.5 Trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly made up of N9.92 Trillion recurrent expenditure, Debt Service N8.25 Trillion and Capital Expenditure N8.7 Trillion.

“This was widely reported. He did not present a budget of N25 Trillion.

“Contrary to the strange view expressed by Senator Ningi, there was no way the Senate could have debated and passed a N25 Trillion budget that was not presented to the National Assembly.

“We don’t expect a ranking Senator not to pay due attention to details before making wild claims.

“It is also important to let Nigerians know that the budget that President Tinubu signed into law on January 1, 2024 as passed by the National Assembly was N28.7 Trillion.

“The National Assembly, in its wisdom, increased the amount proposed by the Executive by N1.2 Trillion.

“In the spirit of democracy which allows give and take, President Tinubu didn’t withhold his assent to the Appropriation Bill as passed by the National Assembly. We want to stress that if the budget figure was increased and made to be different from what the Executive proposed, it was the National Assembly that jacked it up in exercise of its power of appropriation.

“On the uncharitable claim that the 2024 budget was anti-North, we found such position as canvassed by Senator Ningi as too far-fetched and unbecoming of a leader of his status.

“President Tinubu is leading a government that is fair and equitable to every part and segment of Nigeria. In terms of funding, distribution of capital and priority projects, the 2024 Appropriation Act was not skewed against any section of the country.

“The North as an integral part of the country is well covered in all areas, from security to agriculture, healthcare to education, and other important infrastructure such as roads, rail, dams, power and irrigation projects to support all year-round agriculture.

“It is concerning that a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can employ such primordial antics to fuel divisive  rhetoric at a time well-meaning Nigerians are joining hands with President Tinubu to raise the spirit of national cohesion, unity and inclusive politics.

“We want to use this opportunity to commend  Senator Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Publicity for setting the record straight. We also commend Senators Steve Sunday Karimi (Kogi), Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue) and Kaka Sheu (Borno) for their forthrightness and for coming out against the misrepresentation of facts by Senator Ningi.

“President Tinubu is a firm believer in the rule of law and constitutional democracy. As an avowed democrat, he will not engage and indulge in any unconstitutional action or act in any manner that assaults the Constitution of Nigeria by operating any budget outside the one approved by the National Assembly, which he dutifully signed into law.

‘We want to state categorically that the only 2024 budget that is being implemented is the N28.7 Trillion budget passed by the National Assembly and signed by the President,” Onanuga said.