Budget Padding: Peter Obi demands urgent explanation from Presidency, NASS

Peter Obi says the shocking revelation by Senator Ningi on alleged N3 trillion budget padding for the 2024 fiscal year demands an explanation.

The shocking revelation by Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) regarding an alleged N3 trillion budget padding for the 2024 fiscal year has sparked deep concern among citizens.

Among them is the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, who expressed his concerns on X (Twitter) stating, “One Senator claims there is a separate budget, allegedly containing the N3 trillion, that differs from what was passed by the National Assembly.”

Obi highlighted the gravity of the situation, saying, “This alleged discrepancy is especially worrying because it represents over 10% of our national budget (estimated at N29 trillion)” as he drew attention to the fact that the N3 trillion discrepancy surpasses the combined official budgets for education (N1.54 trillion) and health (N1.38 trillion).

Obi, further addressing the issue, said the lack of transparency in managing public funds is a breach of trust between the Nigerian people and their elected leaders. He pointed out that amidst challenges such as insecurity, hunger, poverty, inflation, and unemployment, the alleged budget padding is insensitive to the people’s plight.

Calling for accountability, Obi demanded a public explanation from both the National Assembly and the Presidency regarding the purpose and process of adding the alleged N3 trillion allocation to the officially approved national budget for 2024. He stressed that transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of good democratic governance, reaffirming the commitment to building a New Nigeria despite the challenges.

OrderPaper recalls that Senator Abdul Ningi, in an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Saturday, March 9, 2023, revealed that the Northern Senators Forum’s consultants uncovered the unexplained N3 trillion increase in the N28 trillion 2024 budget previously signed by President Bola Tinubu.

The Presidency debunked the allegations calling to remembrance that it was the National Assembly who raised the appropriation bill from N27.5 trillion to N28.7 trillion.