How The Senate Added Just N3 Trillion To The 2024 Budget Ningi, Senator

Senator Abdul Ningi

Abdul Ningi, a senator for the PDP's Bauchi Central Senatorial District, has charged that the Senate added roughly N3 trillion to the 2024 budget.

In an interview with BBC Hausa on Saturday, March 9, Nini claimed that the budget had been inflated by roughly N3 trillion and that the appropriations bill that the lawmakers had approved was not the same as what was being implemented.

The Northern Senators Forum Chairman, Ningi, claimed that the National Assembly's approved N25 trillion budget was being used by the Federal Government, which was operating on a N28 trillion budget.

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.”