2024 Budget Padding Claim Aimed To Tarnish Tinubu, Akpabio, Senate — Group  

A civil society organisation, Zero Tolerance for Corruption Africa (ZTC-Africa), has condemned the recent allegation of 2024 budget padding against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, by the suspended Senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi, dismissing the claim as baseless.

The CSO said Ningi’s action was either a manifestation of ignorance or a malicious attempt to tarnish the image of President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the 10th Senate.

A statement signed by the National Secretary of the group, Amb. John Menasseh, at the weekend in Abuja, noted that there was no truth in Senator Ningi’s claim of budget padding as what he referred to as untraceable N3trillion projects in the 2024 budget were statutory transfers.

“We view this action as either a deliberate act of ignorance or a malicious attempt to tarnish the reputation of the Senate President, the esteemed institution of the Senate, and the President of Nigeria.

“There is no truth to Sen. Ningi’s claim of N3 trillion being unaccounted for in the 2024 Appropriation Act. What Sen. Ningi refers to as funds allocated to untraceable projects are in fact Statutory Transfers, appropriated to specific government MDAs and for national security purposes, this is in line with extant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Sen. Ningi should cease his grandstanding and acknowledge his error, whether intentional or not. We call upon him to apologise to the National Assembly for his unfounded allegations,” Menasseh stated.

ZTC-Africa, therefore, urged all patriotic Nigerians to unite with the government in ensuring the full and comprehensive implementation of the 2024 Appropriation Act, adding that the organisation was committed to ensuring that government expenditures by MDAs align fully with the provisions of the 2024 Appropriation Law.

“We will not stand idly by if any government official deviates from the budgetary guidelines, as was the norm in the past.

“We call on all government officials to respect the President’s agenda by adhering strictly to the allocations as specified in the Appropriation Act. It is imperative that we all work together to achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President,” the group added.