Budget Padding: Senator Jarigbe Says ‘Senior’ Senators Got N500m Each

Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, who represents Cross River North Senatorial District, has said that “senior” senators of the Nigerian Senate got N500 million each from the 2024 budget.

The Senate had a sitting on Tuesday, largely to discuss the budget padding allegation made by Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi of Bauchi Central.

During the session, Jarigbe said all the senators would be guilty if what went into the budget was to be decidedly looked into.

“We are going back and forth on these issues and coming up with issues of the budget and individual issues and what came to our various constituencies. If we want to go into those issues, all of us are culpable,” Jarigbe said.

“Some senators, so-called senior senators, got N500 million each. I am a ranking senator; I didn’t get. Did I go to the press?”

Despite protests from some of his colleagues in the Senate chamber, the senator stood his ground. He had not completed his revelation when his microphone was turned off and the chamber became noisy.