March 10, (THEWILL)- The Presidency has dismissed the claim of alleged padding of the 2024 Budget.
THEWILL earlier reported that the Senator representing Bauchi Central, in the National Assembly, Abdul Ningi, acting under the umbrella of Northern Senators’ Forum, had claimed during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service that the National Assembly, discussed and approved a budget of N25 trillion for 2024, instead of the N28.7 trillion that is being implemented by the federal government.
Speaking with the BBC, Ningi who doubled as Chairman of the Forum, said “We have seen the huge damage that was done not only to the north but the entire country in that budget. We are supposed to sit with the Senate President to inform him about what we have observed. We want to show him what we have seen in the budget that is not acceptable, we will not accept them and we don’t want the country to continue spending money on those things.
“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.”
Ningi said the forum has commissioned consultants to thoroughly scrutinise the 2024 budget.
But in a statement on Sunday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the claim as false and misleading.
He said: “Following the false claims made by Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government is operating two versions of the 2024 budget, we consider it appropriate to inform Nigerians that there is no truth whatsoever in the allegation.
“Acting under the banner of the Northern Senators Forum, Senator Ningi falsely claimed in an interview he granted BBC Hausa Service, that the National Assembly debated and passed N25 trillion as the 2024 budget and not the N28.7 trillion that is being implemented by the federal government.
“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 of 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 an 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 the exercise of its power of appropriation.
“We found such a position as canvassed by Senator Ningi as too far-fetched and unbecoming of a leader of his status.
“As an avowed democrat, President Tinubu 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.”
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
