Presidency, Northern senators bicker over alleged N3trn budget padding
By Tunde Opalana, Haruna Salami
Crisis of confidence between the Presidency and senators of Northern extraction over alleged padding of the 2024 budget deepened on Sunday.
A senator representing Bauchi central, Abdul Ningi, had on Saturday alleged that there was a discrepancy between the actual budget passed by the National Assembly and the one being implemented by the federal government.
Speaking on behalf of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), Ningi said the actual budget passed by the legislature was N25 trillion and not the N28.7 trillion bill assented to by President Bola Tinubu.
Ningi, who spoke on a BBC Hausa programme, accused the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate and some lawmakers of southern extraction of padding the budget to the tune of N3 trillion.
The Bauchi senator said the N3 trillion was meant to accommodate certain projects that were not discussed during the budgeting process.
But in a swift reaction, the Presidency on Sunday described the senator’s claims as “a strange view, unfounded and blatant lies.”
The Senate Information Committee chairman, Yemi Adaramodu also faulted Ningi’s claims, just as three of the 58-member NSF distanced themselves from the budget padding allegation.
The Presidency, through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said there’s no truth whatsoever in Ningi’s allegation.
In a statement on Sunday, Onanuga clarified that the budget estimate presented to the National Assembly by President Tinubu was N27.5 trillion.
He gave the breakdown as N9.92 trillion recurrent expenditure, N8.25 for debt servicing, and N8.7 trillion for capital expenditure.
The Presidency said there was no way the Senate could have debated and passed a N25 trillion budget that was not presented to the National Assembly.
It said, “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”.
According to the Presidency, it was the National Assembly that increased the N27.5 trillion estimate presented by Tinubu by N1.2 trillion, raising the final figures to N28.7 trillion that was assented to by the President.
“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.
“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.
“Included in the budget are statutory transfers to the Judiciary, National Assembly, Tetfund and others”.
The Presidency accused Senator Ningi of being uncharitable by playing the ethnic cards with his allegation of unequal distribution (north-south dichotomy) of projects in the budget.
“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,” it said.
However, three of the 58 northern senators – Sunday Karimi (Kogi), Titus Zam (Benue) and Kaka Sheu (Borno) have dissociated themselves from Ningi’s allegation.
They trio said the allegation of budget padding was unfounded, baseless and a figment of Ningi’s imagination.
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They warned against what they described as the “antics of blackmailers” bent on creating an atmosphere of crisis in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
Karimi, Zam and Sheu who claimed to be speaking on behalf of the Northern Senators’ Forum, also said no room should be allowed for division and acrimony between senators from the North and their counterparts from the South “by those who may not want to accord priority to national unity and harmony.”
In a joint statement, the three senators said they would not subscribe to any attempts to blackmail the budget process.
They said, “Senator Ningi has not given a correct information. He is yet to even give the Senate President or the Speaker of the House of Representatives a copy of what he claims to have discovered in the 2024 Appropriation Act before levelling allegations of budget padding against the President, the Senate President and the Senate.
“President Tinubu presented a budget estimates of over N27 trillion on 28th November to the National Assembly, which passed a budget of over N28 trillion; which became an Act of Parliament on 1st January 2024.
“Where did Senator Ningi get his Appropriation Act of N25 trillion?What about the extra requests that chairmen of appropriation committees of both chambers claimed came from the Executive after submission of the initial over N27 trillion proposals by Mr President?
