Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, yesterday, expressed concern over the alleged padding of the 2024 budget with N3 trillion, it was shameful to read and a breach of public trust.
This also exacerbated the crisis of confidence in the Senate as Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, asked the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest and prosecute the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), Abdul Ningi, over allegations of budget padding against the executive.
However, describing the issue as a matter of grave concern, Obi called for a public explanation from both the senate and the presidency.
Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, had alleged that the National Assembly debated and passed N25 trillion as the 2024 budget instead of the N28.7 trillion being implemented by the Federal Government.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator, in an interview with BBC Hausa, last Friday, said the Northern lawmakers sought the service of a private auditor and discovered irregularities in the budget.
But, in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, faulted Ningi’s claim on the 2024 budget.
Onanuga stated that the Nigerian government allowed the National Assembly to increase the budget by N1.2 trillion in the spirit of democracy.
Reacting to the development in an X post, Obi called on the presidency and the National Assembly to explain the discrepancies in budget padding to the sum of N3 trillion.
The former governor of Anambra said the allegation was worrying because the amount involved represented over 10% of the national budget.
Obi also decried the lack of transparency and accountability in managing public funds, stressing that it breached Nigerians’ trust.
“I find it deeply disconcerting and a matter of grave concern and even shameful to read about the alleged N3 trillion discrepancy between the budget approved by the Nigerian Senate and the one being implemented by the presidency.
“One Senator claims there is a separate budget, allegedly containing the N3 trillion, that differs from what was passed by the National Assembly.
“This alleged discrepancy is especially worrying because it represents over 10% of our national budget (estimated at N29 trillion) and is more than the combined education (N1.54 trillion) and health (N1.38 trillion) official budgets.
“We also deserve full accountability of all our scarce resources placed in public trust. Therefore, we, the Nigerian people, demand a public explanation from both the National Assembly and the Presidency regarding the purpose and process of adding this alleged,” the Labour Party chieftain stated.
