The Presidency has reacted officially to allegations on Saturday by Chairman of Northern Senators Forum, Senator Abdul Ningi, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu padded the 2024 Appropriation Act, saying it is an unsubstantiated claim.
In a statement, titled, "The Facts About 2024 Budget," issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the presidency stressed that at no time did the Tinubu administration operate two versions of the 2024 budget.
Rather, the statement disclosed, it was the National Assembly in its wisdom that increased the proposed N27.5 trillion budget by N1.2 trillion to N28.7 trillion, which the president assented to.
Expressing concern that a sitting senator could raise unsubstantiated claims to fuel divisive rhetoric, the presidency emphasised that the government at the centre had never been anti-North but rather equitable to all parts of the country.
It further explained that Tinubu, as an avowed democrat, would never indulge in unconstitutional acts, like budget padding.
The presidency, in the press release, stated, "Following the false claims made by Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, that the 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 Northern Senators' Forum (NSF), Senator Ningi falsely claimed, in an interview he granted BBC Hausa Service, that the National Assembly debated and passed N25 trillion as 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 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 a 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."
The statement added, "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 exercise of its power of appropriation."
The presidency also dismissed the anti-North claim by Ningi. It stated, "On the uncharitable claim that the 2024 budget was anti-North, we found such position as canvassed by Senator Ningi as too far-fetched and unbecoming of a leader of his status.
"President Tinubu is leading a government that is fair and equitable to every part and segment of Nigeria. In terms of funding, distribution of capital and priority projects, the 2024 Appropriation Act was not skewed against any section of the country.
"The north, as an integral 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.
"It is concerning that a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can employ such primordial antics to fuel divisive rhetoric at a time well-meaning Nigerians are joining hands with President Tinubu to raise the spirit of national cohesion, unity and inclusive politics.
"We want to use this opportunity to commend Senator Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, for setting the record straight.
"We also commend Senators Steve Sunday Karimi (Kogi), Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue), and Kaka Sheu (Borno) for their forthrightness and for coming out against the misrepresentation of facts by Senator Ningi.
"President Tinubu is a firm believer in the rule of law and constitutional democracy. As an avowed democrat, he 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."
Senate Debates Budget Padding Behind Closed-doors
The senate appropriation committee, led by the chairman, Senator Solomon Adeola, held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the allegations of budget padding raised by Chairman of Northern Senators Forum, Abdul Ningi, on Saturday.
The committee invited journalists for a briefing, but later cancelled the media parley after their deliberations. The panel's chairman said the engagement with the journalists was called off to enable the senate in plenary to discuss the matter on Tuesday (tomorrow) and come up with a position on it.
Adeola said the committee might brief the journalists after the senate's deliberation on the matter.
Meanwhile, some northern senators have criticised Ningi over his interview with the BBC, saying the chairman of NSF has indicted himself, being a member of the appropriation panel.
A ranking senator from the northern part of the country, who is also a member of the appropriation committee, said, "Let me tell you, what Ningi did was self-indictment."
The senator, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, said, "There's this saying in Hausa that if the person speaking is a fool, the person listening will not be a fool. Yes, this budget, when they say it's skewed, it is skewed to where?
"Who prepared the budget? All the committees were the ones that did the budget. Our own is to compile the budget. Our mandate did not say, make sure that the north got equal amount with the south. No. So, what are they talking about? It's self-indictment. Who passed the budget?
"Who is the budget minister? Is he not from the north? Atiku Bagudu is the Minister of Budget and he is from the north. It is not the Minister of Finance, who is from Lagos, that prepared the budget. He only executes the budget. Who prepared the budget?
"Who gives each MDA a ceiling. It is the Budget Office? Then in the budget team, the southerners are in the minority.
"The chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation is from the North-west and the bulk stops there. Solomon Adeola is the chairman of appropriation committee and he is from South-west, but he did not prepare the budget.
"Now, I'm hearing another story. The chairman in the House says if you total the budget, the north has more than the south. So, it has now become an argument and I don't want to start talking to you without facts.
"Now, they said they have a document and they employed a consultant. And that the consultant said that the budget is skewed. And that the budget is actually N25 trillion. Now who are you indicting? So it means the National Assembly padded the budget with N3 trillion. Who added the N3 trillion?"
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The senator also said regarding Ningi's allegation, "He said in his interview, we understand, that the work is in progress, that it is an interim report. A meeting of the Northern Senators' Forum was called and we met the senate president. Some of us didn't want to go but they insisted.
"We demanded for evidence to justify their claims that the north had been short changed. We even asked them to make public, the report of their investigation on the alleged skewed budget with relevant documents.
"At the meeting, the senate president told our colleagues in the NSF that he was not aware of any budget padding and challenged Ningi to submit to the senate leadership a copy of the report presented to him by the team of consultants, which allegedly spotted the padded N3 trillion."
Equally yesterday, three senators - Steve Sunday Karimi (Kogi West), Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue North West), and Kaka Sheu (Borno North) - said the allegation of budget padding by Ningi was unfounded, baseless and a figment of his imagination.
The senators warned against what they described as the antics of blackmailers bent on creating an atmosphere of crisis in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
Karimi, Zam and Sheu, in different interviews, said they spoke on behalf of the Northern Senators' Forum.
They also said no room should be allowed for division and acrimony between senators from the north and south by those who might not want to accord priority to national unity and harmony.
The senators said they could not be used to blackmail the budget process, which was done in good faith.
