N28.7 Trillion 2024 Budget Padding Allegation: Why Ningi may not be forgiven – Senator Karimi

As Senator Abdul Ningi’s interview of how the sum of N3.7 trillion out of the sum of N28.7 trillion 2024 annual budget passed, could not be traced to projects continue to generate controversy and ripples, Senator Sunday Karimi representing Kogi West Senatorial District has lampooned his colleague, saying he misinformed the public in his utterances.

Karimi said Ningi who represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District was a former principal officer in the Senate and the House of Representatives, wondering if he was ignorant that projects are not lumped together with general items in the budget.

The Kogi lawmaker said, a new Senator could have been forgiven, but Ningi as a ranking Senator and former principal officer shouldn’t as he cannot claim ignorance of how items and projects are outlaid in budget documents, insisting that the Bauchi lawmaker is engaging in invidious tar-brushing that shouldn’t be ignored.

Karimi said: “As a former principal officer both in the Senate and the House of Representatives, is Senator Ningi saying he is ignorant of the fact that arrangement of items on the first line charges are not usually lumped together with general items in the budget?

“I must say that Senator Ningi is just trying to engage in red-herring and sow the seed of institutional anarchy. As a ranking lawmaker, he should know that organization of first-line charge items is not lined up on the budget.

“A new legislator could have been forgiven for this invidious tar-brushing but a ranking senator cannot claim ignorance of the organization of budget items”, Karimi insisted.

He stated this on Monday while reacting to Ningi’s insistence at a press conference with Senate Press Corps that the controversial N3.7 trillion couldn’t be traced to projects.

According to Karimi, Senator Ningi paid N30 million to the Consultant that did the shoddy job, while he challenged him to disclose the source of the money used to pay the consultant, adding that, “no Northern Senator contributed any money to pay any consultant, so where did Senator Ningi get the N30 million he paid the consultant?

He further knocked Senator Ningi and urged him to fear God, if he was not afraid of suspension from Senate as earlier posited in a briefing with journalists.

Karimi further insisted that Senator Ningi spoke on behalf of Northern Senators Forum, stating that his denial was out of place, while he challenged Ningi to own up to his misinformation.

“I advise Senator Ningi to at least fear God if he is not afraid of suspension. He spoke for the NSF and not for himself even though nobody authorized him in the NSF to lie against the Senate”

Karimi maintained that Senator Ningi was “Up to mischief because when they met the Senate President, Akpabio requested that they should bring the report so that he would set up a committee to find out if there was anything like that.

“We went to the Senate President as members of the NSF, but since he is on a mission of self-destruct, Senator Ningi decided to go to the media instead of bringing the report to the Senate President to set up a committee to authenticate the veracity of the claims”