Australia-based Nigerian publisher of 9News Nigeria and CEO of Nine Communications Nigeria Limited, Mr Obinna Ejianya, has urged members of the National Assembly and politicians in power to emulate Senator Ningi’s courage in exposing budget padding and other corrupt practices, rather than condemning it.
Describing Ningi’s action as heroic and patriotic, Ejianya in a release titled: ‘Senator Ningi’s Exposure of Budget Padding in the Nigerian Senate Should Be Applauded, Not Condemned’, emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in budgetary allocations.
Noting that Senator Abdul Ningi’s courageous act of exposing budget padding in the Nigerian Senate is worthy of emulation and deserves compliments other than condemnation, he wrote, “It is deeply disheartening and despicable that while the Nigerian economy is in shambles, with the citizens grumbling and roaring in the face of the untold hardship they are passing through, the Nigerian lawmakers, especially the Senators could still connive and indulge in such dastardly chronic act of sharing humongous amounts of money amongst themselves, in the guise of bogus constituency projects.
“Senator Abdul Ningi’s courageous act of exposing budget padding in the Nigerian Senate is worthy of emulation and deserves compliments. The practice of allocating excessive and unjustified amounts of money to certain senators without transparent project allocations is a corrupt and collusive act between the Executive and the National Assembly, an old practice shrouded in the garb of rewards to loyal lawmakers. Instead of condemning Senator Ningi, his actions should be recognized as heroic and patriotic.
“It is pertinent at this time to emphasize the need for transparency and accountability in budgetary allocations; hence seeing that someone from such rank as a lawmaker kicking against the ugly lethal old practice of diverting public funds to few individuals should be celebrated, if indeed Nigeria should smell progress.
“The controversy surrounding the 2024 budget arose when Senator Ningi alleged that the budget was padded by approximately N3.7 trillion, representing more than 10% of the total budget. Despite the importance of his revelation, the Senate chose to suspend Senator Ningi for three months, citing violations of legislative rules, allegations of misconduct, and unethical behavior. This response fails to address the core issue of budget padding and undermines the significance of Senator Ningi’s brave act.
“While the Senate President and his cohorts are witch-hunting, intimidating, and suspending Ningi, Seun Onigbinde, the Co-Founder of the civic group Budgit, affirmed Senator Ningi’s assertion that there was a lack of detailed project allocations amounting to approximately N3.7 trillion in the 2024 Appropriation Act.
“While clarifying that Nigeria is not running two concurrent budgets, Onigbinde emphasized the importance of having transparency and detailed breakdowns of budgetary allocations. He called for greater accountability in the allocation of funds to government-owned enterprises and ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
“In the same vein, a Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to reinstate Senator Ningi and refer the budget padding allegations to anti-graft agencies for investigation. SERAP believes that whistleblowers should not face penalties for exposing public interest disclosures.
“They emphasize that addressing budget padding and corruption in constituency projects is crucial for ensuring probity and accountability in the budget process. Transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds are essential for combating poverty and underdevelopment.
“The 2024 national budget has been marred by controversy from its presentation to the National Assembly. The budget’s late submission and the lack of complete information provided to lawmakers raised suspicions about its integrity. The rushed passage of the budget without thorough consideration further fueled doubts about the government’s ability to effectively manage the economy.
“Since its implementation, the economy has deteriorated, with various indicators showing negative impacts. The inflation rate has surpassed projections, the value of the naira has plummeted, and interest rates have risen. These factors have contributed to increased hardships for ordinary Nigerians”, he said.
“The government and the National Assembly must take immediate action to investigate these allegations and ensure accountability in the budget process. A system that is enshrined and shrouded in secrecy will hardly reproduce progress, while transparency is a starting point for a government that will succeed.
