Obasempire reports that the presidency has refuted claims made by Senator Abdul Ningi, accusing him of spreading falsehoods regarding President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the 2024 budget.
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Senator Ningi, in an interview with BBC Hausa, alleged discrepancies between the budget passed by the National Assembly and the one being implemented by the federal government.
He asserted that the budget presented by President Tinubu amounted to N28.7 trillion, contrary to the N25 trillion passed by the Assembly.
However, Bayo Onanuga, a presidential spokesperson, rebuffed Ningi’s assertions in a statement, labeling them as untrue.
“To set the record straight, President Tinubu presented a budget of N27.5 trillion to the National Assembly on November 29, 2023, comprising N9.92 trillion for recurrent expenditure, N8.25 trillion for debt service, and N8.7 trillion for capital expenditure,” Onanuga clarified.
Contrary to Ningi’s claims, Onanuga emphasized that the Senate could not have debated and passed a N25 trillion budget that was never presented to the National Assembly.
“We don’t expect a senior senator to overlook such details before making baseless allegations,” Onanuga remarked.
Furthermore, Onanuga underscored that the budget signed into law by President Tinubu on January 1, 2024, amounted to N28.7 trillion, as passed by the National Assembly.
Reports suggested that Ningi and other senators, in a closed-door meeting, also accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of unlawfully inflating the budget.
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Akpabio, however, denied the allegations during the meeting.
Regarding Ningi’s claim of bias against the North in the budget, Onanuga asserted,
“President Tinubu’s administration is committed to fairness and equity across all regions of Nigeria.”The presidential rebuttal seeks to dispel misinformation and reaffirm the government’s commitment to transparency and equitable governance.