…Senate suspends Ningi, more controversies hit Upper Chamber

…We are all guilty, nobody has a right to accuse Ningi — Senator Jarigbe

Plenary for the Senate on Tuesday was coloured with rowdy session which further exposed the Upper Chamber to fiercer wind of confusion, particularly on controversies over budgetary imbalances.

The disclosure of budget padding to the tune of N3.7 trillion made by Senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi, who was the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, until his resignation on Tuesday after a suspension blow from the Senate, threw the upper chamber into the wind.

Motion to place punitive action on Ningi over his statement in an interview he granted to the BBC Hausa Service, on Saturday, that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year is N25 trillion, while the one being implemented by the Presidency is N28.7 trillion, took a divergent view among Senators on the floor of the red chamber, generating more controversies.

…Ningi suspended, resigns as NSF Chair

Ningi was suspended on Tuesday following his allegations that about N3.7 trillion in the budget is not tied to any project.

Ningi on Monday had insisted that a sum of N3.7trillion in the 2024 budget was not tied to any project.

After making allegations of padding the 2024 budget with N3.7trillion tied to no projects, Ningi a former Deputy Senate leader, was suspended for three months over his comments in the interview he granted to the BBC Hausa Service on Saturday, where he alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year is N25 trillion, while the one being implemented by the Presidency is N28.7 trillion.

After much controversy over the allegation, the Senate on Tuesday passed a resolution to suspend the lawmaker for three months after a heated atmosphere.

According to the Senate, there is no evidence proving that the 2024 budget was padded as alleged by Ningi.

Although Ningi’s resignation letter as Chairman of the NSF was dated March 11, a copy was released shortly after Ningi was suspended by the Senate for three months following his comments on the alleged padding of the 2024 budget.

The letter reads: “I would like to resign my position as the Chairman of the Northern Senators forum. This is of course necessitated by unfolding events in the National Assembly, the North and the Nation at large.

“I would like to specially thank members of the forum for the opportunity given to me for the last eight (8) months to spearhead this very important forum. I believe this forum is very important and fundamental to the progress and development of Northern Nigeria.”

Ningi on Monday had said he was not afraid of suspension by the Senate as he was prepared to carry his cross.

According to Ningi, if he is suspended at the end of the day, he would see it as an honour against the backdrop that he believes in one God.

He had said power is transient, explaining that he spoke for himself and not on behalf of the Northern Senator Forum, (NSF), where he is chairman.

Ningi had clarified that there was no time during the interview that he said the Federal Government was operating two budgets. He added that he only said that N25 trillion was traced to projects, but that N3.7 trillion was not traced to any project.

Ningi had said, “I said we have established beyond reasonable doubt that N25 trillion so far has a nexus in the budget. That means that there is money, there is a project, and then there is location.

“But we are yet to ascertain N3 trillion of that budget. We have established the N3 trillion of that budget, we have not established its location and the place.

“However, I said going forward, the budget evaluation is ongoing. And I said lastly, the intention of the northern senators, as regards budgetary allocation, was to meet the Senate President with our findings and subsequently meet President Bola Tinubu.

“I have never acted as a regional person. And I have never spoken as a regional person, but I’m proud to say I’m a very proud northerner.

“It wasn’t a budget matter, but a budget issue. I believe in one God, and I believe power is transient. I believe what we are doing is temporary. I’m not scared of whatever you hear, I am not scared of any issue like suspension.

“If because I said what I would say, then I will be suspended, so be it. It will be an honour.”

Prior to his suspension on Tuesday, drama ensued when the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sen Olamileken Adeola (Ogun West) stormed into the red chamber.

Sen. Adeola who was visibly angry in a high tone protested a closed door meeting to address the issue of claims of Ningi, while he kept saying, “No closed door, let’s do it open.”

In a later development, the Senate suspended Ningi for three months, asking him not to participate in all the activities of the 10th Senate.

The Senate also resolved that if Senator Ningi writes to apologise during the period, he shall be recalled to resume his legislative activities.

The resolution of the Senate on Tuesday was sequel to a motion by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Olamilekan Adeola (APC, Ogun West) on the allegations raised by Ningi of N3trn Budget Padding in the N28.7trn 2024 Appropriation Act and that the budget passed by the National Assembly for 2024 fiscal year is N25 trillion, while the one being implemented by the Presidency is N28.7 trn.

Earlier, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, APC, Ondo South, a member of the Senate Appropriation Committee, in an additional prayer had asked the Senate to suspend Ningi for an initial period of twelve months and seconded by Senator Edeh Dafinone, APC, Delta Cenchairman

An additional prayer was moved by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, APC, Cross River South that the suspension be reduced from twelve months to six months and his motion was seconded by Senator Barinada Mpigi, PDP, South East.

The additional prayer for suspension of a period of three months was raised by Senator Musa Garba Maidoki, PDP, Kebbi South and seconded by Senator Sani Musa, APC, Niger East.

The later additional prayer was put to vote by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio leading to Ningi’s suspension for three months.

…More controversies hit Senate, as revelation of ‘senior Senators’ who got N500m each from 2024 budget unfolds

However, more controversies set in for the Red Chamber as another issue of purported largesse to the tune of N500million set aside in the 2024 budget for each of some “senior Senators” was unravelled, amid debate on punitive measures to be meted on Ningi.

The development further threw the Upper Chamber into confusion.

On Tuesday, a Point of Order raised by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, was overtaken by event when Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe representing Cross River North, threw a bombshell when he revealed how some senior Senators got the sum of N500million from the 2024 budget.

Adeola, (APC Ogun West) raised a Point of Order against the allegation by Ningi.

The Senators were divided on the matter. However, as they took turns to speak on the floor of the Senate, more revelations confounded the matter, when Jarigbe, a PDP senator said some senators got N500 million each but he did not get it.

“All of us are culpable. Some so-called Senior Senators here got N500 million Naira each from the 2024 Budget, I am a ranking Senator and I didn’t get anything. No Senator has a right to accuse Senator Ningi,” Jarigbe said.

Controversies engulfed the Senate since last weekend when in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (Hausa Service) on Saturday, Senator Ningi said that the budget being implemented by the Presidency is N28.7 trillion, whereas the one approved by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year is N25 trillion.

While the Senate refuted Ningi’s claim, the Presidency said the National Assembly is responsible for up-shooting the budget away from what President Bola Tinubu presented.

Although Ningi later clarified that his claim was that N3.7 trillion in the 2024 budget was not tied to any project, he was suspended by the Senate at plenary on Tuesday for three months, just as he tendered a resignation as the Chairman of Northern Senators Forum.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu met behind closed doors with the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday shortly after the chaotic session at the Senate.

While the details of the meeting held behind closed doors was undisclosed as at the time of filing this report, it was gathered it was not unconnected with the controversies which the Senate is presently engulfed in.

The Co-Founder of civic group Budgit, Seun Onigbinde has stated that Senator Abdul Ningi was right about his claims that there was no detailed project allocations for about N3.7trn of the N28.78trn 2024 Appropriation Act.

Onigbinde stated this during a guest appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.

However, he insisted that it was not true that Nigeria was running two concurrent budget

“There should be a detailed breakdown of the budget. On that point, Senator Ningi is right but to say that we are running two parallel budgets, I don’t think that is factual,” he said.

Recall that Ningi, had resigned as Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum, after he was suspended by his colleagues in the red chamber on Tuesday over budget padding allegations.

Onigbinde said as the rowdy session by Senate was ongoing, the Budgit team fact-checked claims by Ningi.

According to him, “As the Senate rowdy session was going on, we were also fact-checking and one of the things we found out is that we were not able to lay hold to the claim by Senator Ningi. A budget of N28.7trn was passed into law and we were not able to see where N3.7trn (was missing).

“Historically, there are items in the budget that don’t have breakdown like statutory transfers but that does not means there is a certain level of capital projects by the Federal Government that was appropriated and does not have a breakdown.”

He said the entire capital project was around N9trn in the 2024 Appropriation Act signed into law by President Bola Tinubu after the bill was reviewed upward from N27.5trn to N28.78trn.

“The budget we have now have the ministries, departments and agencies (MDA) and the government-owned enterprise budget.

“Around N2trn of the budget presented by the President is the government-owned enterprises budget. So, if Senator Ningi says there is a N25trn budget, yes, that is the MDA’s budget. It’s different from the government-owned enterprises budget whose budget was now added.

“It is factual that he says that but it doesn’t mean that we are running two concurrent budgets. There is a different conversation that those projects should be detailed. TETFUND should not just get an allocation. What are you spending money on? INEC is collecting huge chunk of funds but there is no public details about what the funds are used for.

“In the current budget, the National Assembly gave a very broad summary of its allocations but they are no detailed allocations on a granular level that everybody can understand.

“These are transparent issues and if you put all these together, that is around N3.5trn to N3.7trn. So, if that is what he (Ningi) wants to interrogate, that there are component of the budget where there are no breakdown, that is very factual,” he added

The Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has denied being served with an impeachment notice from the state House of Assembly.

Recall that the Speaker of the assembly, Hon Blessing Agbebaku, during plenary on Monday, said the inability of the House to physically serve Shaibu led to a substituted service through an advertorial in the newspaper.

However, in a letter dated March 12, 2024, and addressed to the speaker, signed by his Personal Assistant, Charles Olubayo, the deputy governor said he was never served any letter let alone refusing to collect.

Shaibu asserted that he has been out of the state since March 3rd and therefore could not have been served as claimed during plenary.

The letter reads, “The Office of the Deputy Governor, Edo State wishes to draw your attention to the inaccuracies and misleading information that emanated from the plenary session of Monday, March 11, 2024, wherein Mr. Speaker directed that the impeachment notice be served on the deputy governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu through newspaper publications The Nigeria Observer and other national dailies, “sequel to the refusal of the deputy governor to acknowledge the impeachment notice”.

“Mr. Speaker was quoted to have also stated at the said plenary that ‘the action became necessary because the deputy governor refused to acknowledge an earlier impeachment notice sent to him through the clerk of the House.’

“We wish to state categorically that: No impeachment notice was ever served on the Deputy Governor let alone refusing to acknowledge the impeachment notice.

“The deputy governor has since March 3, 2024 travelled out of Benin to Abuja and has not returned to Benin since the said March 3, 2024.

“The clerk never saw the deputy governor whether in the office, at home or anywhere for that matter since the said date; hence surprised that the House resolved to publish the impeachment notice in the Observer and other national dailies because ‘the deputy governor refused to acknowledge the earlier impeachment notice sent to him through the clerk of the House.’ One therefore wonders where the clerk or his appointee served him the impeachment notice and he refused to acknowledge it.

“That neither the Clerk nor any person sent impeachment notice to the Deputy Governor which he refused to acknowledge.

“It is therefore our prayer that Mr. Speaker corrects the impression created in the public as the outcome of yesterday’s plenary to avoid misrepresentation in this all-important matter.”

Bauchi Central Senator, Abdul Ningi, has relinquished his position as the chairman of the Northern Senators Forum.

His decision to step down comes in the wake of his suspension by the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, amidst allegations of budget padding.

In his resignation letter, Ningi cited the unfolding events in the National Assembly, the North, and the nation at large as the basis for his decision. In a letter personally signed by him and addressed to the forum secretary, he stated, “I will like to resign as chairman of the Northern Senators Forum. This is, of course, necessitated by unfolding events in the National Assembly, the North, and the Nation at large.”

He continued, expressing gratitude to the members of the forum for entrusting him with the leadership role for the past eight months. “I believe this forum is very important and fundamental to the progress of northern Nigeria,” he added.

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Senate President Godswill Akpabio says claims of budget padding made by Abdul Ningi, senator representing Bauchi central, have put the integrity of the red chamber at risk.

The senate plenary on Tuesday turned into a rowdy session over Ningi’s allegation that the 2024 budget was padded by N3 trillion.

Over the weekend, Ningi alleged that “huge damage” has been done to the entire country through the budget.

The lawmaker further alleged that “apart from what the national assembly did on the floor, there was another budget that was done underground which we didn’t know.”

Speaking during an open session, Akpabio said the senate has lost the respect of the citizens due to the unverifiable statement made by the senator.

“Nigerians are bashing the senate. Many Nigerians will never in future come back to respect this chamber. The integrity of this chamber has been damaged and we wanted you to repair it with your speech,” the senate president said.

“Instead of that, you said you have more documents to prove what you are saying. This thing is in the public glare. I am still waiting to receive full details up to this moment. If you had given me full details, I would have known what you know.

“So far, what you know is only known to you, it is not known to anyone else. I don’t know how you rushed to the press carrying different versions. The social media is very fast. From Canada, the United States, everywhere, the story was budget padding by the senate.”

Meanwhile, the senate has suspended Ningi for three months after a motion on privilege moved by Solomon Adeola, senator representing Ogun west.

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun has raised an alarm about potential attacks on schools and rural farm communities in the state.

According to the governor, there are intelligence reports indicating a deliberate mobilization of criminal elements for attacks on rural areas.

According to Adeleke, the attackers aim to disrupt farming activities through kidnappings and assaults on rural farm settlements.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Malam Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke disclosed that schools are being targeted with abductions and attacks.

To address the security concerns, Adeleke announced that a meeting of the state security council had been convened.

He also issued preliminary directives to school authorities to enhance the safety of pupils and students.

“The Ministry of Education and all educational agencies have been ordered to review safety measures in Osun schools in line with the safe school initiative.

“In specific terms, school principals and heads are expected to clear overgrown weeds in school environments and ensure close liaison with the Parents and Teachers Association to secure their school environments,” he said.

He said the state is peaceful and would not succumb to attempts to destabilise the peace and harmony among the people.

“No stone will be left unturned to disrupt plans of enemies of progress to plunge the state into crisis.

“I urge members of the public to inform security agencies of any unusual movements or activities across the state,” he added.

The Nigerian Senate has suspended Senator Abdul Ningi for 3 months following allegations of Budget Padding.

During an Interview on BBC Hausa last week, Ningi accused the Senate of Padding the 2024 appropriation bill to the tune of N3.6 Trillion.

Ningi represents PDP, Bauchi Central. Despite outrage and widespread condemnation from his colleagues in the Red Chamber, Ningi maintained his position on Monday that N3.7tn could not be accounted for in the 2024 budget.

During Plenary on Tuesday, Senator Olamilekan Adeola (APC, Ogun West) raised a motion that there is urgent need to address the false allegations by Ningi.

Adeola, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, read the transcript of Ningi’s Hausa BBC interview on the floor of the house after Senate President Godswill Akpabio called for a committee of the whole house.

Senator Jimoh Ibrahim then moved for the suspension of Ningi for 12 months.

The session became heated with Majority of the Senators clamoring that it should be reduced to 3 months.

More to come….