The lawmaker representing Cross River North Senatorial District, Senator Agom Jarigbe, has revealed that some ‘senior’ senators received N500 million each from the 2024 budget.
Senator Jarigbe made the revelation on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday amid controversy over budget padding allegations made by Senator Abdul Ningi, who represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ningi had alleged that the Senate leadership padded the 2024 budget with N3.7 trillion.
Senator Ningi, who was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Population, in a recent interview with BBC Hausa alleged that the National Assembly passed a budget of N25 trillion for the 2024 fiscal appropriation year.
According to the lawmaker, the passed budget is in contrast with the N28.7 trillion being implemented by the federal government.
Senator Ningi’s claim has caused public outrage with many Nigerians lambasting Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
There was a rowdy session on Tuesday as the senators discussed the budget padding allegation.
Speaking during the rowdy session, Senator Jarigbe said, "I thought that when the chairman of appropriation spoke, it was as clear as crystals that there was a misunderstanding of the figures.
"When he came up with the GOEs and all the agencies on first line charge, there is no difference between the figure he reeled out and the figure purported to be padded.
"I thought with that, the allegation would have been rested by Senator Ningi saying that this N3.7 trillion was not part of the budgetary provisions printed out for us. That would have settled this matter.
"We are going forth and back on these issues and coming up with the issues of budget and individual issues concerning what came to our various constituencies.”
The Cross River senator further said, "If we want to go into those issues, all of us are culpable. Some senators here, so-called Senior senators got N500 million each. I am a ranking senator, I didn't get. Did I go to the press? Most of you got."
Senator Jarigbe’s revelation threw the upper legislative chamber into another rowdy session as many of the lawmakers became agitated over his revelation.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Senator Akpabio while reacting to the controversy surrounding the alleged budget padding, said that the integrity of the Nigerian Senate had been damaged.
Akpabio, who faulted Ningi’s initial interview and knocked him for also granting a follow-up interview where he purportedly justified his initial claim of budget padding, said that the Senate had been subjected to ridicule as Nigerians were bashing the parliament.
SaharaReporters also earlier reported that the Senate has suspended Senator Ningi for three months over his allegation of budget padding.
A commotion ensued at the plenary on Tuesday after a senator raised an order that Senator Olamilekan Adeola presented the budget padding issue and needed no back and forth on it.
While the parties called for a probe into the allegation, some northern senators disowned the claims made by Ningi, saying the Bauchi State senator did not speak for them.
Adeola (APC, Ogun West) raised a motion that there was an urgent need to address the “false allegation” made by Ningi.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations read the transcript of Ningi’s BBC Hausa interview on the floor of the House after Akpabio called for a committee of the House.