President Tinubu Dismisses N3.7Trillion Budget Padding Claim, says Senate Integrity Remains Intact
President Bola Tinubu has dismissed claims that the Senate added more than N3.7 trillion to the 2024 budget, asserting that the legislative body’s reputation remains unblemished.
Speaking from the State House in Abuja on Thursday, the President said that the individuals making these accusations lack understanding of the arithmetic involved in the 2024 budget.
He lauded the Senate for expediting the budget, and he commended the lawmakers for their work up to this point.
Furthermore, the president revealed that the country’s revenue generation has increased under his leadership.
He mentioned that the nation is nearing a turning point in its economic struggles, highlighting that revenue has increased.
He emphasized the importance of expenditure control and better management.
Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central, PDP) had alleged that the Tinubu-led government is implementing a budget other than the one approved on January 1, 2024.
Ningi, who chaired the Northern Senators’ Forum and Senate Committee on Population, had contended in a BBC Hausa Service interview that a N25tn budget was debated and passed, not the N28.7tn that is currently being implemented.
He maintained that N3.7tn could not be accounted for in the 2024 budget.
However, at plenary on March 12, the Senate suspended Senator Ningi for three months over this claim.
Reacting to the allegations for the first time in public, Tinubu said, “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.”
Tinubu thanked the lawmakers, adding that Nigerians are at the “turning corner” of the economic challenges.
“The natural challenge we are facing will be over. With the current economic difficulty, we are about to turn the corner.
