The Presidency has dismissed Senator Abdul Ningi’s claim of padding the 2024 budget.
Ningi, a PDP lawmaker from Bauchi Central, alleged that the executive under President Bola Tinubu padded the 2024 budget with N3 trillion.
According to him, the executive is implementing a budget other than what the National Assembly approved on January 1, 2024. He said NASS approved N25 trillion while the Federal Government is executing N28.7tn.
“Besides what we did on the floor, there is another budget that was done underground which we didn’t know,” Mingo told BBC Hausa Service.
“The new things we have seen in the budget were not known to us. We didn’t see them in the budget that was debated and passed on the floor of the National Assembly.
“For example, it was said there was N28tn but what was passed was N25 trillion. So there is N3tn extra. Where are they, where is it going?”
“So we need to know this. There are many things.”
The senator under the umbrella of northern Senators Forum also said they would meet with Tinubu this week to confirm if he knew about the budget or not.
Reacting to Ningi’s claims, the special adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the allegations as “false,” and explained how the N28.7tn budget came about.
Onanuga said the President never presented a budget of N25tn to the National Assembly. He said Tinubu presented a N27.5tn budget to the Senate on November 29, 2023.
He said the budget became N28.7tn after NASS exercised its appropriation power to add N1.2tn to it.
Onanuga’s statement read: “Contrary to Senator Ningi’s strange view, there was no way the Senate could have debated and passed a N25tn budget that was not presented to the National Assembly.
“We don’t expect a ranking Senator not to pay attention to details before making reckless claims.”
He added, “We want to make it clear that the only 2024 budget being implemented is the N28.7 Trillion budget passed by the National Assembly and signed by the President.”
“Statutory transfers to the Judiciary, National Assembly, Tetfund and others are included in the budget. He didn’t present a budget of N25tn.”
Onanuga also took a swipe at Ningi over his anti-North budget claim.
He described the claim as “unbelievable and unbecoming of him”.
He said the current administration is fair to every part and segment of the country.
He added, “The North as a 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,”
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