President Bola Tinubu has reacted to the allegation of budget padding by Bauchi senator, Senator Abdul Ningi.
President Tinubu said that those alleging malicious embellishment of the 2024 budget do not understand its arithmetic.
Tinubu said he knew the arithmetic of the numbers that he brought to the Senate, when he presented the 2024 budget and also knew what he got back, when it was passed.
The president, however, assured Nigerians that the current security and economic challenges facing the country would soon become a thing of the past, confident the nation would surmount her challenges.
Speaking at a special Iftar with the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and other senators at the State House, Abuja, the president addressed the lingering allegation of budget padding for the first time since the news became topical.
Appreciating the Senate for its works, particularly the passage of the Students Loan Bill, the president told the leadership of the Senate that the integrity of the National Assembly must remain intact and that his administration would always encourage cooperation for the advancement of the nation.
“I know the arithmetic of the budget and the numbers that I brought to the National Assembly, and I know what numbers came back. I appreciate all of you for the expeditious handling of the budget. Thank you very much.
“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.
“I am grateful for what you have been doing. The natural challenge we are facing will be over. On the current economic difficulty, we are about turning the corner.“Our revenue has improved. All we have to do is to control expenditure and manage ourselves better. Light is at the end of the tunnel, and Nigerians will soon smile again,” the President affirmed.
Politics Nigeria reports that Senator Ningi was suspended for three months after he accused Akpabio of inserting project worth N3.7 trillion into the 2024 budget.
Ningi also alleged that President Tinubu was implementing a separate budget from the one passed by the National Assembly.
