Budget Padding: Your Integrity Remains Intact, Tinubu Tells Senators, Reassures Cooperation

President Bola Tinubu has charged the leadership of the Senate that the integrity of the National Assembly must remain intact and that his administration will always encourage cooperation for the advancement of the country.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu stated this when he hosted the leadership of the Senate to a dinner to break the Ramadan fast at the State House on Thursday.

Tinubu spoke in reference to the budget padding allegations controversy that raged last week when Senator Abdul Ningi representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District made a claim that about N3.7 billion in the N28.77 trillion 2024 national budget was not tied to any specific project and was subsequently suspended for three months.

“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,” Tinubu stated.

“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,” he added.

The president expressed optimism that with the economic difficulty being faced in the country now will be over adding that the revenue has improved and that all that was required was for all “to control expenditure and manage ourselves better.”

“Light is at the end of the tunnel, and Nigerians will soon smile again,” the President affirmed.

The President thanked members of the National Assembly for the expeditious considerarion of the Student Loan Amendment Bill, leading to the passage and called for more tolerance, forgiveness, and charity during Ramadan.

Speaking on the recent killing of military officers in Delta State, President Tinubu vowed that the perpetrators will face justice, warning that his administration will not tolerate attacks on the military and security infrastructure.

The President said the military will continue to enjoy the support of his administration in neutralizing security threats across the country.

“Our armed forces are working hard, and we will not allow attackers to undermine the integrity and value of our armed forces and its leadership.

“We will continue to encourage and fight for our sovereignty, our individual rights to exist, and we will succeed in banishing poverty from our land,’’ he stated.

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In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio thanked the President for hosting the lawmakers, noting that regular interactions would enhance understanding and productive governance.

“We bring you greetings from the 10th senate. We bring you assurances of continuous collaboration because we believe strongly that for us to have two brothers from the National Assembly as President and Vice-President, and even the Chief of Staff as our member, we have no option but to work with you, and to do everything possible for this administration to succeed,’’ Akpabio stated.