Senate dismisses reports on padding of 2024 budget

The Senate on Saturday dismissed reports on the padding of the 2024 budget by over N4 trillion.

The Senate passed the 2024 budget of N28.7 trillion on December 30, 2023.

The approved budget was N1.2 trillion higher than the N27.5 trillion President Bola Tinubu presented to the joint session of the National Assembly on November 29 of the same year.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, made the clarification in a statement in Abuja.

He stressed that the budget went through a transparent process before it was signed by President Tinubu.

The spokesman stressed that the Senate was not aware of any altered version of the budget.

The statement read: “There is no budget padding as far as the Senate and the National Assembly are concerned. The National budget is a public document that explicitly states the expected revenue and expenditure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Senate approves N5.07trn 2024 budget for Customs

“The Senate, under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio, is not aware of any altered execution of the 2024 appropriation mandate, as approved.

“The budget presentation and approval processes were conducted in the public eye, and the Presidential assent was also part of a public ceremony.

“Any infractions would have been brought before the Senate, if any.

“The general public should rest assured that there is no budget padding anywhere, and we are confident that the 2024 appropriation law shall be strictly executed under strict legislative oversight.”

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