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General News of Friday, 22 March 2024

Source: www.mynigeria.com

'They didn't understand the arithmetic' - President Tinubu speaks about budget padding allegations against N'Assembly

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President Bola Tinubu with the leadership of the Senate President Bola Tinubu with the leadership of the Senate

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reacted to the allegations of budget padding leveled against the National Assembly by Senator Abdul Ningi.

Ningi, the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central was suspended by the Senate for an interview he granted BBC where he alleged the National Assembly padded the 2024 budget by more than N3 trillion naira.

The lawmaker was quoted as saying, “For the first time in Nigerian history, today we are operating two different budgets. One budget was approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu, and the other was implemented by the presidency.

“The one approved by us is N25tn while the one operating by the Federal Government is N28tn.”

His comments generated mixed reactions among political and social commentators - social media wasn't left out. Senate President Godswill Akpabio in his assessment of the allegation said it had dented the image of the Senate.

Akpabio stated this while speaking on the Senate floor on Tuesday, expressing concerns about the damage inflicted on the Senate’s integrity.

Speaking for the first time about the incident, President Tinubu told the leadership of the Senate that the integrity of the National Assembly must remain intact and that his administration will always encourage cooperation for the advancement of the nation.

According to him, the individuals who are alleging corruption do not "understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought".

“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. Thank you very much.

“Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; they 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. On the current economic difficulty, we are about turning the corner. Our revenue has improved. All we have to do is to control expenditure and manage ourselves better.