Senator Abdul Ningi suspended over N3 trillion budget padding claim - BBC News Pidgin (2024)

Wia dis foto come from, Presidency

Di Nigerian Senate don suspend Senator Abdul Ningi wey dey represent Bauchi central sake of di 3 trillion budget padding allegations wey e make against di red chamber.

Di Senate suspend am for three months afta dem debate on di mata on Tuesday 12 March.

One member of di Appropriation Committee for di Senate, Jimoh Ibrahim, first move di motion say make dem suspend Ningi for 12 months sake of di allegations of criminal misinformation and breach of peace for di National Assembly and di kontri.

Oda lawmakers like Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong move make dem amend di motion of Ibrahim.

Ekpenyong, wey come from Cross River South Senatorial District; and Senator Abdulfatai Buhari from Oyo North tok say make dem reduce di suspension to six and three months respectively.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio say di offence wey Ningi commit dey “grievous”. Most of di senators do voice vote to support di suspension of Ningi for three months.

Meanwhile di Senate bin tok say e no get any budget padding for di N28.77 trillion budget wey di joint chambers of di National Assembly pass.

Senate tok tok pesin, Senator Yemi Adaramodu tok dis one as e react to di allegation of budget padding to di tune of over N3 trillion ($1.8 billion) wey one serving senator bring.

Na di chairman of di Northern senators forum, Senator Abdul Ningi raise di concern say something dey wrong wit di 2024 budget.

Senator Abdul Ningi na senator wey represent Bauchi Central Senatorial District and e bring up di matter of 2024 budget padding for interview wey e do wit di BBC.

E allege say di federal goment dey operate a N28 trillion budget wey dey different from di N25 trillion budget wey di National Assembly pass.

Di senator say in di last three months, dem don employ private financial auditors to look di 2024 budget and dem "uncover significant unauthorized changes and additions for di budget wey go get widespread negative impact on di kontri."

"Apart from wetin di National Assembly do for di floor, e get anoda budget wey dem do underground wey we no know," e add.

Oga Ningi wonder say if e get a budget of N28 trillion but wetin dem pass na budget of N25 trillion, e mean say e get N3 trillion on top am. Wia e dey and wia e dey go? Dis na wetin pipo gatz know.

“Dia is no budget padding as far as di Senate and di National Assembly dey concerned," na so tok tok pesin of di Senate, senator Adaramodu tok.

E explain say di National budget na public document wey tok di expected revenue and expenditure of di kontri.

Dis one make di presidency come clarify say di National Assembly add N1.27 trillion to di 2024 budget so dem no see wia di N3 trillion dey come from.

"Wetin we know na say di National Assembly approve a budget of N28 trillion wey di President sign, as e dey approved by di two houses of di National Assembly," presidential tok-tok pesin Bayo Onanuga tok for statement on Sunday.

President Bola Tinubu present a budget of N27.5 trillion for di 2024 fiscal year to a joint session of di National Assembly in November 2023.

However, as dem dey pass di budget on 30 December, di lawmakers increase am by N1.2 trillion, bringing di total to N28.7 trillion.

Dis na after dem increase di allocations to some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of di federal goment, wey dem say bin receive inadequate funding.

Some key elements of di budget as approved by di lawmakers na:

Aggregate Expenditure - N28,777,404,073,861

Statutory Transfers - N1,742,786,788,150

Recurrent Expenditure - N8,768,513,380,852

Capital Expenditure – N9,995,143,298,028

GDP – 3.88 %.

President Tinubu sign di budget into law on 1 January.

Wetin be budget padding?

Ignatius Chukwu wey be business analyst say di National Assembly get right to contribute to di national budget weneva di Executive present di budget to dem to chook eye look am and pass am.

Chukwu say, "wetin we know na say wen di Executive send a bill, di legislators legitimately add projects for areas wey dem think say suppose dey executed within a particular sector."

E say budget padding for Nigeria na stealing and corruption through di budget wey be say some tins go dey added to di budget wit amounts wey dem add in a way wey dem no go do di project but dem go pull out di funds quietly and e go go to unknown sources.

Dis na di one wey we generally understand to be budget padding.

"Budget padding na situation wia dem make a budget big pass di original estimates through increase di value of items or introduction of new items into di budget,” e tell BBC.

Implication of budget padding?

Ignatius Chuku wey also be di South South Regional Manager, Business Day Newspaper, note say budget padding no be good tin and e dey cause indiscipline in di budgeting process.

"Di most important law of di nation evri year na di budget law and no goment suppose spend any money without approval and di a committee of di National must monitor how dem spend evri kobo."

At di end of di year, evri single money wey dem spend, dem go retire am properly. Dat one dey purely on paper as e no dey actually happen in our environment.

"Dis na becos di various committees wey suppose carry out oversight function over di years dey carry am out in a way wey dey like pure bribery."

E say to pad di budget without accountability na corruption.

Oda times allegation of budget padding don arise

Wia dis foto come from, Muhammadu Buhari

For 2016, allegations of budget padding by di National Assembly come as major scandal wey result to di suspension of di chairperson of di House of Representatives committee on Appropriation, Adbulmumini Jibrin from office for 20 July 2016.

Jibrin bin allege say di den Speaker of di House of Reps, Yakubu Dogara and three oda officials abuse dia office by removing N40 billion out of di N100 billion wey dem allocate for constituency projects and share am to demsefs.

Dat same 2016, dem discover say legislators fraudulently add some projects worth N480 billion into di budget during di defence sessions.

E come up wen di then Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole disown di budget wey dem give to im Ministry say dat no be wetin em submit and say, "dem no want anytin foreign to creep into di budget."

Also for 2019 former President Muhammadu Buhari accuse di National Assembly say dem increase di budget by N90 billion from N8.83 trillion to N8.92 trillion.

Again for 2020, former President Buhari raise concern about projects wey di National Assembly chook inside di budget as dem increase di budget by about N264 billion.

For 2021, tori be say di National Assembly pad di budget wit over N500 billion as Buhari bin propose a budget of N12.08 trillion, but wen dem dey check am, di lawmakers increase am to N13.6 trillion.

For 2022, Buhari see say di National Assembly add N37.59 billion as money for dia own projects.

For 2023 Buhari observe say lawmakers add new projects worth about N770.72 billion inside di budegt while dem increase estimates of MDAs by about N58.55 billion.

How to check budget padding?

Despite all di I-no-gree between Senator Ningi and di presidency wit di Senate, di mata still dey cause tok-tok for di kontri.

On Monday, Senator Ningi say im stand by im allegation say e get extra N3 trillion inside di 2024 budget.

In response, Ondo Senator Jimoh Ibrahim order for di arrest of im colleague say "di allegation dey false and na something wey fit cause breach of peace" - e say Senator Ningi must explain im claim of budget padding to di court.

However, to check budget padding, Ignatius Chuku advise make goment set up a forensic audit panel wey go chook eye inside di kontri budget for di past five years.

E say di idea no be to punish anybody but to find weda true-true dis budget padding dey real and how e dey happun - "If dem find out say negative budget padding dey real den make dem make necessary provisions wey go check such in di future."

E say e dey important for di National Assembly to clearly publish any extra project dem wan add to di budget wey di executive present.

Oga Chukwu recommend newspaper publication as place wia lawmakers suppose publish details of di budget make pipo fit see am.

"Dis go make am easy for pipo wey dey monitor di budget to see wia dem propose addition to di budget and how dem spend am. E go allow for accountability and transparency," e tok.