To bring to rest the the alleged padding of the 2024 budget, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu has the national assembly has done everything right accordingly, saying that they have not violate any laws.
The Minister noted that the new insertions in the 2024 budget has been a tradition since 1999, explaining that it has been customary for the National Assembly to include new line items in the Appropriation Bill to fund specific projects in their constituencies.
He said this on Friday in Abuja during a press conference that this practice often results in an increase in the approved budget from what was initially presented by the president.
Recall that the Senate has been enmeshed in a padding scandal following allegations Senator Abdul Ningi that the sum of N3.7 trillion in the budget was not tied to any project.
Ningi was reported to have made the claim during a BBC Hausa Service interview last weekend.
Following the allegations levelled against the red chamber, and upon findings that it was plans to paint the Senate President black for evil intentions, the Senate suspended Ningi for three months and which has also led to his resignation as northern Senators forum chairman.
He said, “There has been a long debate, and a former president went up to the Supreme Court to define the appropriation power of the executive and the National Assembly. Later, there was an out-of-court settlement. Until now, this issue has not been resolved.
“So, what is the power of the National Assembly as regards the budget? There is no Supreme Court judgement, and the choice of our democracy is that the National Assembly has the last word. Even when they pass an appropriation, that assent is refused, and after 30 days, it becomes law.
“Do they have the right to increase a budget line? I will say yes.”
He also mentioned that there is a misunderstanding regarding why budgets for agencies classified as statutory transfers do not have their budget line items disclosed.
His words: “These are transfers for agencies that are created by the constitution or legislation. So, they have the right to draw up their own budget. They can be supervised by a committee, but it is not the federal government that appropriates for them; the most popular ones are the NJC, FCT, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, NEDC, NDDC, and others,” he said.
