President Bola Tinubu has dismissed accusations of budget padding by the National Assembly, attributing the controversy to critics’ misunderstanding of budget arithmetic.
Speaking during an Iftar gathering with senators at the State House, Tinubu addressed the alleged smuggling of projects into the 2024 budget, emphasizing his grasp of budgetary figures, unlike critics.
Expressing gratitude for the lawmakers’ swift handling of the budget, the President commended their integrity amidst the allegations, stating, “Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; they did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought. But your integrity is intact.”
Tinubu affirmed his administration’s commitment to fostering cooperation for national progress, assuring the Senate leadership of Nigeria’s impending economic recovery.
Amidst allegations raised by Senator Abdul Ningi regarding the inclusion of undisclosed projects in the budget, both the National Assembly and the presidency denied the claims.
However, evidence obtained by an online newspaper, PREMIUM TIMES, corroborated some of Ningi’s assertions.
Despite the controversy, the Senate suspended Ningi for three months, while the executive sought to justify the projects’ inclusion, with Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, recently offering explanations.
