The representative of Cross River north senatorial zone, Mr Agom Jarigbe, yesterday alleged that the majority of the senators are guilty of budget padding because some of the ranking senators received N500 million worth of projects allocated for each of them in the 2024 budget.
Jarigbe made the revelation during plenary while commenting on an allegation of budget padding made against the senate by the senator representing Bauchi Central, Mr Abdul Ningi.
Ningi had, in a BBC interview (Hausa Service), alleged that the budget passed by the national assembly for the 2024 fiscal year was N25 trillion, while the one being implemented by the presidency is N28.7 trillion.
“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 one was implemented by the presidency.
“The one approved by us is N25 trillion while the one being operated by the federal government is N28.7 trillion,” he said in the interview.
Ningi alleged out of the total budget, the senate president, Mr Godswill Akpabio inserted projects worth N4 trillion into the budget.
“Apparently, we discovered N3 trillion was inserted into the budgets for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch,” he added.
Contributing to the debate, Jarigbe said: “I thought this issue should have ended when the chairman of the Committee on Appropriation explained that the N3.7tn was under government-owned enterprises (GOEs) and the first line charge.
“That explains everything. We are going back and forth on this issue and coming up with the issue of budget and individual issues concerning what comes into our various constituencies.
“If we want to go into those issues, all of us are culpable. Some senators here—the so-called senior senators—got N500m each. I am a ranking senator, but I didn’t get it. Did I go to the press? Most of you here got it.”
At that point, Premium Times reported that Akpabio muted Jarigbe’s microphone to stop further damage.
According to Premium Times, the senate immediately erupted in a rowdy session for about 30 minutes before Akpabio directed the senators to return to their various seats.
When given another opportunity to speak, he clarified that it was Ningi who told him that some senators got N500 million.
“This is an important clarification. I was speaking when the microphone went off. I was told by Ningi that some ranking senators got N500m. Ningi came to me and said that there were discrepancies in the budget and I told him that let’s go to the senate president,” he said.
Furthermore, he said: “Senator Yayi (Adeola) has cleared the air on the N3 trillion, so there is no padding anywhere. Senator Ningi told me that he got N500m worth of projects in the budget. I said Senator Ningi shouldn’t be the one speaking about certain things.’’
However, the representative of Ekiti central, Mr Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), stated that though the senators got N500m, it was for constituency projects.
“I was going through online and it’s trending that every senator got N500 million here today and I am not going to deny anything. My appeal to Nigerians today is not about what was said here today because I am not going to deny that.
“But we have 12 months to implement this budget and see whether any of these senators here will not implement boreholes, enough solar street lights, road construction, training, and empowerment that will not be up to N500 million,” he added.
