A Senate House drama erupted when Senator Jarigbe disclosed that certain senior senators received 500 million Naira each from the 2024 Budget, triggering uproar among the senators.
During Tuesday’s plenary session, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, moved a motion against Senator Abdul Ningi, accusing him of breach of privilege and issue of national importance.
Senator Ningi had, in an interview with the British Broadcasting corporation (BBC), claimed a 3 trillion Naira budget padding in the N28.7 trillion 2024 Appropriation Act.
He alleged that the National Assembly passed a 25 trillion Naira budget, while the Presidency implemented a 28.7 trillion Naira budget, He claimed that they discovered that ₦3tn was inserted into the budgets for projects without locations. Noting that this is the highest budget padding that happened in
Nigerian history and that it happened under Senator Akpabio’s watch. As senators deliberated on these matter, Senator Jarigbe added fuel to the fire by stating that some high-ranking senators received 500 million Naira each, although he himself did not. This contradicted his earlier assertion that the issue of the alleged missing 3.7 trillion Naira had been clarified under Government Owned Enterprises and first-line charges. While Jarigbe’s statement might be perceived as fueled by anger and dissatisfaction on the matter.
The question still lingers: What happened to the missing 3.7 trillion Naira? Was it
absorbed under Government Owned Enterprises and first-line charges, as explained by the Committee of Appropriation’s chairman, or did it find its way into the pockets of certain high-ranking senators, as Jarigbe later suggested?
These questions remain unanswered, leaving room for speculation. Only those directly involved can provide the real answers to this unfolding controversy
