The President Bola Tinubu-led administration, since its inception, has not just been faced with numerous challenges, but it has also been bombarded with loads of allegations.
Nigerians were busy dealing with the hardship holding them by the throat like the hook of a fisherman on a fish, when Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central-PDP) dropped a bombshell.
Ningi accused the Bola Tinubu-led government of implementing a budget not approved by the National Assembly.
You see, there are some allegations that can be overlooked, but this particular one, Nigerians are ready to follow it to the end.
Do not be surprised. For some time now, Nigerians have been desperate to find the cause of this current hardship.
The Senator’s allegations sparked a whole new wave of outrage.
In fact, the Senate has said it would meet over the matter on Tuesday.
Underground 2024 Padded Budget
Senator Ningi was speaking on behalf of the Northern Senators’ Forum during an interview with the BBC Hausa.
He alleged that the National Assembly debated and passed ₦25 trillion, as the 2024 budget and not the ₦28.7 trillion being implemented by the Federal Government.
“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,” he said.
“For example, it was said that there was a budget of ₦28 trillion, but what was passed was ₦25 trillion,” Ningi added.
The 2024 Budget Padding Report
Ningi did not stop there, he also revealed plans to meet President Bola Tinubu later this week.
“We are coming up with a report, and we will show the president himself and ask him if he is aware or not,” he said.
The presidency reacted in a statement entitled ‘THE FACTS ABOUT 2024 BUDGET’.
That statement was by the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Onanuga accused Senator Ningi of making wild claims.
He stated that the presidency considers it appropriate to inform Nigerians that there was no truth whatsoever in the allegation made by the lawmaker.
Now, there are indications that some senators may call for the suspension of Ningi over the claims. Basically, some of them have described the claim as unfounded.
Commotion On 2024 Budget Padding
Sources disclose that the lawmakers are angry with the lawmaker for allegedly making claims that could paint the Senate in a bad light.
Also, some senators and members of the House of Representatives have been meeting since Ningi’s interview surfaced online.
One of such meeting was held at the Senate wing of the National Assembly.
Furthermore, in that meeting, some lawmakers, including members of the Executive of the Northern Senators Forum, reportedly distanced themselves from Ningi’s statement.
One of the lawmakers specifically said the northern bloc of the Senate would address a Press Conference on Monday.
The aim is to clear its name from the allegations raised by the forum’s chairman.
Best Place To React
On Sunday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Solomon Adeola (APC Ogun West), spoke to journalists.
He said that his initial plan to address the issue of alleged budget padding had been withdrawn.
According to him, the Senate would address the issue through internal legislative mechanisms.
Adeola said since an allegation of budget padding was made by a serving Senator who participated in the consideration and passage of the budget, the best place to react was in the Senate Chamber on Tuesday.
Procedures
He said: “As you people can see, many Senators across the six geo-political zones are here with me.
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“We are here to react to what a senator said at the weekend on alleged two versions of the 2024 budget.
“But after realising that there are laid down procedures and processes to follow in dealing with such a matter involving an insider, we have decided, to shift the venue of reaction to the Senate Chamber on Tuesday.
After this, journalists would be briefed adequately”.
