The Nigerian Senate was on Tuesday thrown into a rowdy session following shocking revelations made by Senator Jarigbe Agom (PDP, Cross River North) that some ranking Senators were awarded projects worth over N500 million, while some others got nothing.
Senator Agom while making his submission on the alleged N3.7 trillion not traced to projects in the 2024 Budget by Senator Abdul Ningi claimed that it’s true that some senatorial constituency got more projects allocation than others.
His comments generated uproar among his colleagues who called for a probe.
Earlier Senator Ningi, in his defense over allegations that the 2024 national budget was padded, clarified that he had been quoted out of context in the interview due to the language barrier.
He admitted to hiring a consultant to review the budget, and according to the consultant’s findings, approximately N3.7 trillion could not be traced to any specific projects or locations.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Solomon Olamilekan, expressed frustration over the breach of his rights as a Senator who had actively participated in the budgeting process.
He called for immediate action to address the issue and protect the integrity of the budgeting process and the institution of the National Assembly
Olamilekan presented a full transcript of Ningi’s interview to the Senate, along with the voice recording of the interview, which was read on the floor of the upper House.
He argued that Ningi did not wait for the facts before going to the media with his findings on the budget.
Senator Joel Onowakpa, (APC Delta South) drew the attention of his colleagues to a Facebook post affirming that the Federal government is operating two budgets posted by Senator Sumaila Kawu.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio in his response revealed that after a meeting with some Northern Senators, who approached him with their concerns, it was resolved to further engage some experts to review their findings on the 2024 budget padding controversy.
Already, many Senators feel that their reputations had been tarnished by the allegations which has gained prominence in the Nigeria media.
The Senate at the time of this report had not concluded on the motion on the alleged padding and lopsided allocation of projects in the 2024 Nigerian budget.
Editor: Ken Eseni
