Senators Adeola, Ningi bicker over 2024 budget padding allegation

The senate is currently in a rowdy session over an allegation that the 2024 budget was padded by N3 trillion.

The debate was sequel to a motion moved by Solomon Adeola, senator representing Ogun west, who said his privilege as a senator was breached.

At the weekend, Abdul Ningi, senator representing Bauchi central, stirred the hornet’s nest when he alleged that “huge damage” has been done to the entire country through the budget.

The national assembly had passed a budget of N28.7 trillion for the 2024 fiscal year.

President Bola Tinubu had proposed N27.5 trillion, but the lawmakers jerked it up by N1.2 trillion.

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The Ogun west senator said his privilege was breached because he participated in the budgeting process.

“Ningi has maintained that N3 trillion in the budget was not linked to anything,” Adeola said.

“My privilege has been breached because I was one of those who participated in the preparation of the budget. With what has transpired in the last three days, my privilege has been breached.”

Ningi got a chance to defend himself, saying he had documents to prove the anomaly.

But the upper legislative chamber immediately descended into chaos when Jarigbe Jarigbe, senator representing Cross River north, claimed that some “older senators” got N500 million in the budget for constituency projects.

“Let us wash our dirty linen in public,” Jarigbe said.

“Did you see me go to the media?”