The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Population, Abdul Ningi, has clarified statements attributed to him regarding the 2024 Appropriation Bill. Contrary to earlier reports, Ningi asserted that he did not claim President Bola Tinubu was running two budgets and explained that his comments were made in his capacity as a lawmaker, not as a representative of the Northern Senators Forum.
In a recent interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (Hausa Service), Ningi alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year was N25 trillion, while the Presidency was implementing a larger budget of N28.7 trillion. He claimed that N3 trillion had been inserted into the budget for projects without specified locations, describing it as the highest budget padding in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.
However, in his clarification, Ningi stated, “At no time did I say Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing two budgets. There was no time, at no time did I say Bola Tinubu was biased against the north.” He emphasized that the N3 trillion discrepancy in the budget was yet to be accounted for, and ongoing budget evaluation would determine its location and purpose.
Ningi further explained, “The intention of the northern senators as regards budgetary allocation was to meet the Senate President with our findings and subsequently meet President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with our findings.” He urged patience from Nigerians, emphasizing that the issue was a national concern that affected everyone irrespective of party, tribe, or religion.
This clarification comes after the Senate, through its spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, refuted the claim of budget padding, asserting that there was no such manipulation in the budget.
