It has been disclosed that ranking senators got N500m each for their constituency projects in the 2024 budget passed by the National Assembly.
A ranking senator is any lawmaker who has spent at least a term in the House of Representatives or Senate.
The revelation on the huge sum received by ranking senators came from Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe (PDP, Cross-River North), during the debate of the motion on breach of privilege moved by Senator Olamilekan Adeola (APC Ogun West) against Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) over Ningi’s interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (Hausa Services).
Ningi was suspended for three months on Tuesday. He also resigned as the Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum
Jarigbe’s revelation led to a rowdy session at the plenary with some senators denying collecting the amount.
Jarigbe later clarified, in an interview on Arise TV that the money was for constituency projects, not for personal palliatives of the Senators.
Adeola had come under orders 9, 10, 41, and 51 to move a motion of privilege and issue of national importance against Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) over Ningi’s interview with the BBC (Hausa Services).
It would be recalled that Ningi, in the BBC interview on Friday, alleged that N3.7tn was not tied to specific projects in the 2024 budget.
Also, at a press conference on Monday, the senator insisted on the allegation, adding that he was not afraid of suspension.
Contributing to the debate on Tuesday, Jarigbe said issues about the missing N3.7tn as alleged by Ningi had been clarified under the Government Owned Enterprises and the first line charge.
He said, “I thought this issue should have ended when the chairman of the Committee on Appropriation explained that the N3.7tn was under GOEs and the first line charge.
“That explains everything. We are going back and forth on this issue and coming up with the issue of budget and individual issues concerning what comes into our various constituencies.
“If we want to go into those issues, all of us are culpable. Some senators here—the so-called senior senators—got N500m each. I am a ranking senator, but I didn’t get it. Did I go to the press? Most of you here got it.”
However, when given another chance to speak, he clarified that it was Ningi who told him that some senators got N500m.
Jarigbe said, “This is an important clarification. I was speaking when the microphone went off. I was told by Ningi that some ranking senators got N500m. Ningi came to me and said that there were discrepancies in the budget and I told him that let’s go to the Senate President.
He explained further, “Senator Yayi (Adeola) has cleared the air on the N3tn, so there is no padding anywhere. Senator Ningi told me that he got N500m worth of projects in the budget. I said Senator Ningi shouldn’t be the one speaking about certain things.’’
But Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), stated that though the senators got N500m, it was for constituency projects.
“I was going through online and it’s trending that every senator got N500m here today and I am not going to deny anything. My appeal to Nigerians today is not about what was said here today because I am not going to deny that.
“But we have 12 months to implement this budget and see whether any of these senators here will not implement boreholes, enough solar street lights, road construction, training, and empowerment that will not be up to N500m.”
In his defence, Ningi stated that he never mentioned padding in the 2024 budget.
“I have never issued a statement of this to anybody anywhere and anytime. What is being forwarded is the distorted version of what I said. Mr Chairman, you would recall last Tuesday that Kawu and I said we wanted to have an audience with you.
“The Northern Senators’ Forum met with you on Tuesday and this copy is with me. I am the only one who has a copy of our findings. At the end of our conversation, you said that the way the budget was brought to us didn’t allow us to vet it accurately.”
Ningi stated that in the BBC interview, he never mentioned Akpabio and budget padding.
“I know that the budget was increased by N1.2tn, but I am not aware of the National Assembly budget or what was increased. We discovered some anomalies.
“Some things were repeated in the budget, Some senatorial districts have N120bn, some N50bn, some N30bn while my senatorial district just has N2bn and others have less than N1bn. I do not know the takeoff pay of the Senate President while you know mine,” he stated“Apparently, we discovered N3tn was inserted into the budgets for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.”
On his part, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, while briefing journalists after the Plenary, said no senator got N500m as palliative.
He said the Senator who raised the issue had recanted, claiming that he also got the information as a rumour somewhere.
He said, “There is no N500m largesse anywhere. The senator who raised it had since recanted claiming that somebody told him somewhere.”
The Senate later suspended the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi, for three months.
Ningi was suspended after about three hours of elaborate debate over his interview where he alleged that the National Assembly padded the 2024 budget.
The Senate also extended a strong warning to Senator Suleiman Kawu ( NNPP, Kano South) from sharing and distributing disturbing news about the Senate.
After extensive elaboration, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim ( APC, Ondo South) moved a motion that Ningi be suspended for 12 months, but the motion was amended by Senator Asququo Ekpeyong (APC, Cross RiverSouth) that the punishment be reduced to three months.
Senator Garba Maidoki (PDP, Kebbi South) thereafter, moved that Ningi be suspended for three months or an apology be accepted if he wrote to the Senate within 24 hours.
He was seconded by Senator Sani Musa ( APC, Niger East) whose motion the Senate eventually adopted.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, in his initial comment before the debate noted that Nigerians were bashing the Senate but Ningi insisted and refused to apologise to the Senate.
Akpabio said, “Nigerians are bashing the Senate. Many Nigerians will never in future come back to respect this chamber. The integrity of this chamber has been totally damaged and we wanted you to repair it with your speech.
“Instead of that, you said you have more documents to prove what you are saying. This thing is in the public glare. I have not received full details up to this moment. If you had given me full details, I would have been able to know what you know.
“So far, what you know is only known to you, it is not known to any other person. I don’t know how you rushed to the press carrying different versions. Social media is very fast. From Canada, the United States, everywhere, the story was budget padding by the Senate.
“I can quote a section of the Premium Times that said ‘This is the highest level of budget padding in Nigeria’s history where the budget passed a budget of N25tn but what we collected was N28tn.”
As the situation at the Senate festered, Senator Ningi had to tender his resignation as the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum.
Although the resignation letter was dated March 11, a copy was made public shortly after Ningi was suspended for three months by the Senate over his statement on the alleged padding of the 2024 budget.
Ningi, in a letter sent to the forum, wrote, “I would like to resign my position as the Chairman of the Northern Senators forum.
“This is, of course, necessitated by unfolding events in the National Assembly, the North, and the nation at large.
“I will like to especially thank members of the forum for the opportunity given to me for the last eight months to spearhead this very important forum. I believe this forum is very important and fundamental to the progress and development of Northern Nigeria.”
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday held closed-door talks with Akpabio, Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, and other lawmakers at the State House, Abuja.
The talks followed the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi who alleged that the executive was implementing a budget other than the one approved on January 1, 2024.
