Nigeria lawmakers has suspended one of their colleagues from representing his constituents for three months in the Senate House of the National Assembly following the allegation made by the affected Senator that over ₦3.7 trillion was added to the 2024 budget approved by President Bola Tinubu without the money being tied to any project.

The affected Senator, Abdul Ningi representing the people of Bauchi Central in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly had in the weekend reportedly disclosed while speaking during an interview with Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC that Nigeria has two budget for 2024. Specifically, the ₦25 trillion and some fractions approved by the government and another with ₦3.7 trillion added to scale up the budget to ₦28 trillion and some fractions allegedly being implemented by the Presidency.

During the plenary on Tuesday, Senator Olamilekan Adeola had come under orders 9, 10, 41, and 51 to move a motion of privilege and issue of national importance against Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) over Ningi’s interview with the BBC (Hausa Services). Ningi, had in the BBC interview on Friday, alleged that ₦3.7 trillion was not tied to specific projects in the 2024 budget. Also, according to Punch Newspaper, at a press conference on Monday, the senator insisted on the allegation, adding that he was not afraid of suspension.

After Abdul Ningi was suspended for three months on Tuesday by the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, he resigned as the Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum

Meanwhile, there was fresh revelations raised at the Senate plenary on Tuesday,  indicating that some ranking senators  got ₦500 million each for their constituency projects  in the 2024 budget passed by the National Assembly..

The ranking senators are considered in accordance with the Senate rules that any lawmaker who have spent at least a term in the House of Representatives or Senate,  is qualified to be considered as a ranking senator.

It was gathered that the list of senators in the 10th Senate, qualified as ranking senators are 34 in numbers. Aggregate of the total amount said to have given to the ranking senators amounted to ₦17 billion as their constituency projects voted.

Revealing the secret, Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe representing PDP, Cross-River North while speaking during the debate of the motion on breach of privilege moved by Senator Olamilekan Adeola of APC representing Ogun West against Senator Abdul Ningi of PDP, Bauchi Central over Ningi’s interview with the BBC, alleged  that senior senators got ₦500 million each as ranking senators.

Jarigbe’s revelation led to a rowdy session at the plenary with some senators denied  collecting the amount.

According to Punch Newspaper, Jarigbe later clarified, in an interview on Arise TV that the money was for constituency projects, not for personal palliatives of the Senators.

Jarigbe said issues about the missing ₦3.7 trillion as alleged by Ningi had been clarified under the Government Owned Enterprises and the first line charge.

He said in quotes: “I thought this issue should have ended when the chairman of the Committee on Appropriation explained that the ₦3.7 trillion was under GOEs and the first line charge.

That explains everything. We are going back and forth on this issue and coming up with the issue of budget and individual issues concerning what comes into our various constituencies.

If we want to go into those issues, all of us are culpable. Some senators here—the so-called senior senators—got ₦500 million each. I am a ranking senator, but I didn’t get it. Did I go to the press? Most of you here got it.

This is an important clarification. I was speaking when the microphone went off. I was told by Ningi that some ranking senators got ₦500 million. Ningi came to me and said that there were discrepancies in the budget and I told him that let’s go to the Senate President.

Senator Yayi (Adeola) has cleared the air on the ₦3 trillion, so there is no padding anywhere. Senator Ningi told me that he got ₦500 million worth of projects in the budget. I said Senator Ningi shouldn’t be the one speaking about certain things.’’

Also speaking during the Tuesday plenary, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele of APC, representing Ekiti Central, stated that though the senators got ₦500 million, it was for constituency projects.

“I was going through online and it’s trending that every senator got ₦500 million here today and I am not going to deny anything. My appeal to Nigerians today is not about what was said here today because I am not going to deny that.

But we have 12 months to implement this budget and see whether any of these senators here will not implement boreholes, enough solar street lights, road construction, training, and empowerment that will not be up to ₦500 million.What Abdul Ningi wanted to do was tantamount to a civilian coup. It is always about Akpabio, never about the House of Representatives or the President. It is not about North and South, it is about our rules.

I am speaking as Bamidele, not as a Senate Leader. The last time a South-South person was ever given the opportunity to become president was over 40 years ago. We have another peaceful Senate, but why is it always about Akpabio?.

We must do this right. He (Ningi) said some of us got ₦100 billion, why do we need an apology? If I have anything here, it is not money put in my pocket, they are for constituency projects. Let us do the right thing”, Senator Bamidele statement ends in quote.

Another Senator, Sani Musa of APC, Niger East said; “Any discovery that I have not seen, to me it is not a discovery.

Distinguished Senators Ningi and Kawu, I am not a second-class northerner. If there is anything that happens in the Northern Senators Forum, they do not inform me. If anybody says he has seen anything, provide the evidence.

But when I saw the post from Senator Sumaila Kawu, I was disappointed. We will deal with the budget, but we have to also deal with our ethical standards in this Senate.

Responding, Senator Abdul Ningi stated that he never mentioned padding in the 2024 budget.

“I have never issued a statement of this to anybody anywhere and anytime. What is being forwarded is the distorted version of what I said. Mr Chairman, you would recall last Tuesday that Kawu and I said we wanted to have an audience with you.

The Northern Senators’ Forum met with you on Tuesday and this copy is with me. I am the only one who has a copy of our findings. At the end of our conversation, you said that the way the budget was brought to us didn’t allow us to vet it accurately.

I know that the budget was increased by ₦1.2 trillion, but I am not aware of the National Assembly budget or what was increased. We discovered some anomalies.

Some things were repeated in the budget. Some senatorial districts have ₦120 billion, some ₦50 billion, some ₦30 billion while my senatorial district just has ₦2 billion and others have less than ₦1 billion. I do not know the takeoff pay of the Senate President while you know mine,” end of quote of Senator Abdul Ningi speech.

During the interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Senator Abdul Ningi had alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year was ₦25 trillion, while the one being implemented by the Presidency was ₦28.7 trillion.

“For the first time in Nigerian history, today we are operating two different budgets. One budget was approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu and the one was implemented by the presidency.

“The one approved by us is ₦25 trillion while the one being operated by Federal Government is ₦28 trillion.

Apparently, we discovered ₦3 trillion was inserted into the budgets for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.

We resolved as the peoples’ representatives to see President Tinubu on this issue, with facts and figures, to ask him if he is aware of this embarrassment or not, then from there we will take action.

Let Nigerians be patient with us. This is a national issue; it affects all Nigerians irrespective of party, tribe or religion”, Senator Ningi quoted to have said in the BBC interview as translated and made available by Punch Newspaper.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said; “Nigerians are bashing the Senate. Many Nigerians will never in future come back to respect this chamber. The integrity of this chamber has been totally damaged and we wanted you to repair it with your speech.

“Instead of that, you said you have more documents to prove what you are saying. This thing is in the public glare. I have not received full details up to this moment. If you had given me full details, I would have been able to know what you know.

“So far, what you know is only known to you, it is not known to any other person. I don’t know how you rushed to the press carrying different versions. Social media is very fast. From Canada, the United States, everywhere, the story was budget padding by the Senate.

“I can quote a section of the Premium Times that said ‘This is the highest level of budget padding in Nigeria’s history where the budget passed a budget of ₦25 trillion but what we collected was ₦28 trillion.”

Reports indicated that President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, and some other lawmakers at the State House, Abuja. We learnt that the meeting was held following the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi who alleged that the executive was implementing a budget other than the one approved on January 1, 2024.