Budget Padding Controversy: Northern Senators Disowns Ningi over ₦3.7tn Allegation
Mayowa DurosinmiMarch 12, 20241 Mins read1.9k 
Northern Senators Forum, including APC and PDP, have disowned Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) for allegedly accusing the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of budget padding of ₦3.7 trillion, yet a call for investigation has ensued.
Over the weekend, Senator Ningi alleged before the plenary that “Apparently, we discovered that ₦3.7 trillion was inserted into the budget without locations. This is the highest budget padding in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.”
More so, Senator Ningi insists that the Presidency operates two separate budgets at a news conference in Abuja, where he chairs the Northern Senators Forum, yet maintained that ₦3.7 trillion was loafing, saying any proposed project did not accompany the funds.
A position that a member of the NSF, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo South) frowned upon and has sought Ningi’s sanction and investigation for giving false information after it garnered several news reports coverage.
I am not afraid of suspension, says Ningi
Despite facing a potential call for suspension, Ningi has denied saying the President was operating two separate 2024 budgets. Yet he told reporters that the views he expressed during his weekend interview aired on BBC were his personal opinion and not those of the NSF.
Furthermore, he expressed that the BBC interview he had in Hausa was misinterpreted, stressing that those who informed the President’s Media and Publicity spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, did so with the sole aim of tarnishing his good name.
“At no time did I say Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing two budgets. At no time did I say Bola Tinubu was biased against the North. The Hausa version is there. At no time did I say Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing an ₦25 trillion budget,” he reiterated.
About The Author
Related Articles
Tinubu Spends Trillions on Coastal Highway While Ayetoro Sinks Into the Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is swallowing Ayetoro, a fishing community of about 10,000...
Mahama Orders Payment for Ghana’s Crude Oil in Cedis to Ease Pressure on Local Currency
Ghana’s President John Mahama has ordered a review of the dollar payment...
Kogi State Has N820 Billion Budget for 2026, Yet Schools Have No Roofs and Roads Are Death Traps
A visit to Kogi State has laid bare the shocking reality of...
Niger Signs $1.9 Billion Deal for West Africa’s Third-Largest Refinery
Niger has signed a $1.9 billion agreement to build a 100,000-barrel-per-day refinery...