Northern senators disowns Ningi, says no wrongdoings in 2024 budget

Senators representing the northern region of the country says it is disassociating itself from the allegation made by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Population, Abdul Ningi (PDP), Bauchi Central, that N3.7trillion was padded in the 2024 budget.

According to a statement jointly issued by seven senators across its three northern geopolitical zones, the view expressed by Ningi was his personal opinion, sentiment and unfortunately skewed, incorrect and misleading.

The senators also noted that there was never a time where we held a meeting and mandated Senator Ningi to address the press on the said matter.

While speaking to BBC Hausa Service over the weekend, Ningi alleged that President Bola Tinubu is executing a N28trillion budget different from N25trillion he said the National Assembly debated and approved. 

He accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and President Tinubu of padding the budget by N3trillion. 

The Senate Spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu and other Senators from the North have come out strongly to refute Ningi’s claims, saying he was speaking for himself and out of the figment of his own imagination.
Read full statement below 

We, the undersigned on behalf of the Senators from the 19 Northern States and the FCT, under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum (NSF), hereby state that Senator Ahmed Abdul Ningi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bauchi Central Senatorial District, who also happens to be the chairman of our forum, was on his own in the claims he made on the BBC Hausa

Service on the 2024 budget. As such, the view he expressed was his personal opinion, sentiment and unfortunately skewed, incorrect and misleading.

That there was never a time where we held a meeting

and mandated Senator Ningi to address the press on the said matter.

The budget was presented to the National Assembly during a joint session of the two chambers – Senate and House of Representatives – by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on November 29, 2023, in line with the requirement of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

That both chambers of the National Assembly diligently

and meticulously debated, processed and passed the proposal of the President. And satisfied with it, the President assented to It is clear that Mr President presented a budget of N27. 5 trillion to the National Assembly and the Assembly passed a budget of N28.7 trillion based on the need to make increases or decreases in the appropriations of the various MDAs which is in tandem with the legislative powers of the National Assembly in order to address critical projects and services across various sectors.

Therefore, the statement made by Senator Ningi that

the 2024 budget presented to the National Assembly by Mr President was the sum of N25 trillion was not correct and that should not be taken as the position of the Northern Senators Forum.

That to the best of our knowledge there was no budget

padding, whatsoever that was done to the 2024 budget. The assertion by Senator Ning that certain things were done to the bill is his personal opinion. It is not the view of the generality of us, the Northern Senators.

Hence, we strongly and collectively dissociate ourselves from his action which was grossly unparliamentary.

That, we, the Northern Senators are solidly behind

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and we will continue to support him to succeed in addressing the challenges facing our country.

Nigeria, at this particular moment does not need ethnic

sentiments but collaborations of all to bring prosperity to our beloved country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We will continue to work with our brothers and sisters from the southern part of the country to move our country forward for the benefit of all and sundry.

Signed:

North East:

1: Senator Aminu lyal bass (Adamawa)

Algalle

2: Senator Ibrahim Bomol (Yobe)

North West:

I: Senator Abdulaziz. Yar’Adua (Katsina)

2: Senator Lawl Adamu Usman (Kaduna)

North Central:

1: Senator Jibrin Isah (Kogi)

2: Diket Plang (Plateau).

3: Senator Saliu Mustapha (Kwara)