By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
Two senators, Messrs Abdul Ningi and Jimoh Ibrahim, clashed over allegations of budget padding levelled against President Bola Tinubu’s administration by the former.
Ningi, Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), alleged in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday that N3.7trn in the 2024 budget was not tied to any projects.
The senator told journalists in Abuja yesterday that he did not grant the interview on behalf of the Northern Senators Forum but spoke in his capacity.
He expressed surprise that the Presidency could issue a statement based on an issue it didn’t understand.
He said, “I didn’t grant the interview in English. At no time did I say Bola Tinubu is implementing two budgets or that he is anti-North. I didn’t also say he was implementing just 25 percent of the budget.
“I was speaking on the state of the nation, and I lamented how the North has been at the receiving end since the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan up to that of Muhammadu Buhari.
“I accused Jonathan of not dredging the River Niger. I also said Buhari didn’t do anything on Mambila, the Ajaokuta Steel Project, and the construction of the Abuja- Kaduna Expressway, among others.
“I also said President Bola Tinubu should not be blamed because the northern leaders didn’t extract a commitment from him on what they wanted for the region before he became president.
“In the course of perusing the budget, we discovered that money totalling N3.7trn was appropriated, but we could not march it with any specific project and its location. We’ve not established the location of those projects.”
He confirmed that the consultants hired by the northern senators were still carrying out the budget evaluation and that their intention was to inform President Tinubu of their findings after the meeting they held last Thursday with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Ningi said, “I am not afraid of suspension by the Senate. I stand by what I said. N3.7trn not traced to any project in the 2024 Budget. I spoke for myself and not on behalf of the Northern Senators Forum. I never said the federal government operates on two budgets.
“I only said N25trn traced to projects and locations, but N3.7trn is not tied to any project.
“I’m not representing the Northern Senators Forum. My interview was in my capacity as a senator and an opposition senator. It has no bearing on the northern Senators’ position on any matter.
“Anything you heard in my Hausa interview had to do with my perspective.
Ningi denies accusing President Tinubu of implementing two budgets
“Yesterday (Sunday), I was confronted by a very harsh press release from an individual whom I have followed personally as a journalist for close to 30 years.
“I have been following Bayo Onanuga’s write-up for close to 30 years, and I do not doubt that Bayo Onanuga was one of my best.
“I was really surprised. The Bayo Onanuga I know could come out with a press release against my person without even understanding the subject matter. I never granted my interview in English. This is the Hausa version of the interview with me.
“Unfortunately, those who carried the story to Bayo did it with the sole aim of tarnishing my good name, and Bayo went to the extent of calling me a liar. I’m not going to join his issues about calling me a liar.
“Bayo Onanuga did not listen to my Hausa interview; Bayo did not get a good translation of our Hausa interview. At no time did I say Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing two budgets.
“I never said Bola Tinubu was biased against the North. The Hausa version is there. At no time did I say Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing the N25trn budget. I’m here to attempt to summarise for you, members of the National Assembly press corps.
“In my Hausa interview about a week ago, I spoke on the state of the nation and, among other things, lamented how the North found itself on the receiving end.
“The first example I made, and I said, was my president from my party, Goodluck Jonathan, for his failure to dredge the river Niger.
“I also mentioned former President Buhari for failing to do anything on Ajaokuta, Mambilla, or anything as small as the road from Abuja, Kano, and Kaduna.
“I came to President Tinubu, and I said I don’t blame Tinubu for doing what he is doing because while he was campaigning, northern leaders, particularly from his party, have not extracted commitment that if he wins, what he will do for the North. That I said.
“I said we have established beyond reasonable doubt that N25trn has nexus in the budget.
That means there is money, there is a project, and then there is location. But we have yet to ascertain the N3 Trillion of that budget. We have established the N3 trillion of that budget but have yet to verify its location and place.
“I said that the budget evaluation will be ongoing in the future. Lastly, the northern senators’ intention regarding budgetary allocation was to meet the Senate President with our findings and subsequently meet President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with our findings.
“So, if one is questioning our desire to relate with Bola Tinubu, how will I say that the findings of the northern senator’s forum will go to the Senate president and then to the president and commander in Chief?”
*Jimoh wants NSF chairman prosecuted
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, a member of the Senate Appropriation Committee who also chaired the Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, insisted that the presidency was not operating two budgets.
He said Ningi made false allegations and that his outbursts were causing uncomfortable pains to the integrity of the entire members of the National Assembly.
He, therefore, called on the Inspector General of the Police, Kayode Egbetokun, “to charge Ningi for criminal information and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
He said, “What Ningi said is very embarrassing. We, the 10th Senate, will not just fold our hands.
“The Senate approved only one appropriation for 202. We never approved two. The Nigerian presidency cannot operate with two budgets.
“Senator Ningi provided this false information, and it is unacceptable. It is causing uncomfortable pains to our integrity and the integrity of children and families as people read it all over the world and raise questions.
“As a senator representing the good people of Ondo South, I have decided to ask the IGP to charge Ningi as a matter of urgency for criminal misinformation and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
“If the Senate will not move to do that in the next seven days. I will write a letter, and I have started that to the IGP to investigate circumstances leading to the approval of two appropriations and culprits to book. If the IGP does not do it, I will ask for an order of mandamus to compel a public officer to do that.
“Senator must be charged to court. The charges must be preferred by the criminal justice department for the governments and after thorough investigation.”
“The rightful thing was to tender an apology to the Senate and his colleagues and not go to the Senate president to complain.”
*More Northern Senators disown him
Meanwhile, a group of northern Senators had said there was no wrongdoing in the 2024 budget and had dissociated themselves from Senator Ningi’s padding allegation.
The statement was signed by Senators Aminu Iyal Abass (Adamawa) and Ibrahim Bomoi (Yobe state) for the Northeast; Senators Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (Katsina) and Lawal Adamu Usman (Kaduna) for the Northwest; and Senators Jibrin Isah (Kogi), Diket Plang (Plateau), and Saliu Mustapha (Kwara) for the North Central zone.
Part of the statement read, “We, the undersigned, on behalf of the Senators from the 19 Northern States and the FCT, under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum (NSF), at this moment 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 and sentiment, and unfortunately, it was skewed, incorrect, and misleading. We never 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.
“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.
“It is clear that the President presented a budget of N27.5trn to the National Assembly, and the Assembly passed a budget of N28.7trn based on the need to increase or decrease the appropriations of the various MDAs, which is in tandem with the National Assembly’s legislative powers to address critical projects and services across various sectors.
“Therefore, Senator Ningi’s statement that the 2024 budget presented to the National Assembly by Mr President was the sum of N25trn needed to be corrected, and that should not be taken as the position of the Northern Senators Forum.
“To the best of our knowledge, the 2024 budget did not contain any budget padding. Senator Ningi’s assertion that certain things were done to the bill is his personal opinion. It is not the view of the majority of us, the Northern Senators.
“Hence, we strongly and collectively dissociate ourselves from his grossly un-parliamentary action.
“We, the Northern Senators, are solidly behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we will continue to support him to succeed in addressing our country’s challenges.
“Nigeria, at this particular moment, does not need ethnic sentiments but collaborations 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.”
