In a recent gathering at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu delivered a stinging rebuke to Senator Abdul Ningi’s claims of N3 trillion budget padding, stating that such allegations stem from a lack of understanding of arithmetic.
The president’s remarks came during a Ramadan fast-breaking event where he hosted the leadership of the Senate, where he emphasized the crucial need for cooperation between the executive and legislative branches to advance the nation’s interests.
Earlier this month, a senator representing Bauchi Central Senatorial district, Abdul Ningi, told the BBC that there was another budget different from what was passed on the floor of the National Assembly. Senator Ningi’s allegation sparked a wave of controversy, prompting a closer examination of the budgetary process.
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President Tinubu, while expressing gratitude for the Senate’s collaborative efforts since his assumption of office, noted the need to adhere to the principles of transparency and fiscal responsibility.
He acknowledged the expeditious handling of the budget by the Senate but stressed the need for a clear understanding of the arithmetic behind the budget figures.
“I know the arithmetic of the budget and the numbers that I brought to the National Assembly, and I know what numbers came back. I appreciate all of you for the expeditious handling of the budget.
“Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought. But your integrity is intact.
“I am grateful for what you have been doing. The natural challenge we are facing will be over,” he said.
However, the controversy surrounding the budget deepened as investigations conducted by Premium Times unearthed a labyrinth of dubious projects and questionable allocations. What began as Senator Ningi’s claims of budget padding evolved into a broader examination of budgetary irregularities that cast a shadow over the integrity of the legislative process.
Delving into the details, Premium Times revealed a pattern of opaque project allocations, with funds directed towards projects lacking specific locations and clear objectives.
Under the Federal College of Land Resources in Owerri, Imo State, projects with vague descriptions and unspecified locations received substantial allocations totaling N2.4 billion.
“In total, 14 projects worth N2.4 billion were injected into the institution’s budget. These 14 projects were not in the proposed budget by the president,” the findings revealed.
These projects, conspicuously absent from President Tinubu’s original budget proposal, raised serious concerns about transparency and accountability. The scope of the scandal extended beyond the Federal College of Land Resources, encompassing other institutions such as the Agricultural Council of Nigeria and the Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research.
The report revealed that a similar vague project was domiciled in the budget of the Agricultural Council of Nigeria. The N40 million project is tagged, as a “supply of farm inputs and farm implements in selected communities.” No specific location was put in place for the project.
According to the findings, When President Tinubu initially presented the budget, the agency was allocated a budget of N2.7 billion. However, following controversial insertions by lawmakers, the agency’s budget saw a significant increase to N22.9 billion.
Numerous projects are slated to be carried out across various senatorial districts, but several have notably vague descriptions. For example, N297.6 million (N297,555,911) appears multiple times in the agency’s budget for projects lacking specific locations.
Mr. Ningi’s scrutiny extended to the Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, where he pointed out N1.5 billion worth of projects lacking specific locations. However, further investigation revealed a much larger sum of over N54.2 billion in vague projects inserted by lawmakers into this agency’s budget.
Similarly, in the budget of the National Centre for Agriculture Mechanisation, lawmakers inserted over N36 billion worth of projects. Initially, when President Tinubu presented the budget in November 2023, the agency had an estimated expenditure of about N1.8 billion. But with the additional projects inserted by lawmakers, the allocation soared to N38.6 billion.
Furthermore, Mr. Ningi’s assertion regarding projects worth approximately N2 billion in the budget of the National Horticulture Research Institute, Ibadan, lacking specific locations is also found to be accurate.
Inflated budget allocations and vague project descriptions pointed to a systemic issue of budgetary manipulation, with lawmakers accused of inserting projects to bolster budget figures.
The ramifications of these revelations are far-reaching, with implications for public trust in the government’s ability to manage public funds responsibly. Many believe that Tinubu’s defense of the Senate’s integrity notwithstanding, the burgeoning scandal underscores the need for institutional reforms to enhance oversight and curb budgetary irregularities.
Calls for a thorough review of the budget and stringent measures to hold accountable those responsible for fraudulent allocations are mounting, as stakeholders demand action to restore public confidence in the legislative process.
Senator Ringi was subsequently handed a three-month suspension for exposing the budget padding.