High ranking senators shared & got N500 million each in the N3.7 trillion senate padded budget—Senator Jarigbe

There was uproar in the Senate on Tuesday over the revelation that ranking senators received N500 million each for projects.

Senator Jarigbe Agom-Jarigbe of the People’s Democratic Party representing Cross-River North had revealed during a Senate session that ranking senators received a sum of N500 million each.

The Senator revealed this while speaking during the plenary while discussing Senator Olamilekan Adeola’s motion on breach of privilege by Senator Ningi.

Senator Ningi, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Population and he represents Bauchi Central.

Senator Ningi had alleged in a media interview that the 2024 Budget was padded to the tune of N3.7 trillion.

Senator Adeola had invoked orders 9, 10, 41, and 51 to present a motion of privilege and raise an issue of national importance regarding Senator Abdul Ningi’s interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (Hausa Services).

In his interview, Senator Ningi alleged that the Senate operates with two distinct budgets, highlighting over N3 trillion in unexplained funds within the 2024 budget.

However, Senator Agom-Jarigbe’s revelation that ranking senators received N500 million each sparked an uproar among the senators and caused a rowdy session.

He said, “We are going back and forth on this issue and coming up with issues of the budget and individual issues concerning what came to our various constituencies.

If we want to go into all those issues, all of us are culpable. Some so-called Senior Senators here got N500m each, I am a ranking Senator I didn’t get anything, did I go to the press?

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) while speaking after the uproar had died down clarified that the said N500m was for constituency projects.