The Presidency has denied allegations of padding the 2024 budget by an additional N3 trillion, admitting however that the National Assembly increased the executive’s proposed budget by N1.2 trillion.
By Emma Ogbuehi
The Presidency has denied allegations of padding the 2024 budget by an additional N3 trillion, admitting however that the National Assembly increased the executive’s proposed budget by N1.2 trillion.
The rebuttal followed accusations by Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, Senator Abdul Ningi of Bauchi Central (PDP) that the executive is implementing a budget other than the one approved on January 1, 2024.
Ningi, under the aegis of the Northern Senators’ Forum, had contended in a BBC Hausa Service interview that the Federal Government, led by President Bola Tinubu, was executing a budget significantly higher than what was passed by the NASS.
According to the lawmakers, an N25 trillion budget was debated and passed, not the N28.7 trillion that is currently being implemented.
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However, in a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency pointed out that Tinubu had initially presented a N27.5tn budget to the National Assembly on November 29, 2023.
It said this budget included N9.92tn for recurrent expenditure, N8.25tn for debt service, and N8.7tn for capital expenditure, contrasting Ningi’s claims.
The Presidency stressed that it was implausible for the Senate to have debated and passed a N25tn budget that was never presented.
“Contrary to the strange view expressed by Senator Ningi, 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 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 N28.7tn,” the presidency insisted.
It argued that the National Assembly only exercised its appropriation powers and increased the executive’s proposed budget by N1.2tn to N28.7tn, which President Tinubu subsequently signed into law on New Year’s Day.
Addressing Senator Ningi’s assertion that the 2024 budget was anti-North, the Presidency dismissed it as far-fetched and unbecoming of a leader of his stature.
Ningi said the Northern Senators Forum commissioned consultants to thoroughly scrutinise the 2024 budget to reveal how N3 trillion was surreptitiously added to the amount passed by lawmakers.
He also said the Forum would soon confront Senate President Godswill Akpabio with its findings concerning the N3 trillion alleged padding.
