Tinubu speaks on alleged budget padding, says accusers ‘don’t understand the arithmetic’

Despite recent accusations of budget padding, President Bola Tinubu assured the 10th Senate leadership on Thursday that the National Assembly’s integrity is unaffected.

He declared that for the benefit of the country, his administration will always support collaboration between the executive and judicial branches.

This was stated by Tinubu during a meal he held for the Senate leadership on Thursday at the State House in Abuja to break the Ramadan fast.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a statement released in the early hours of Friday titled ‘President Tinubu: We will not allow anyone to undermine our security; killers of soldiers in Delta State will face certain justice.’

Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central, PDP) had alleged that the Tinubu-led government is implementing a budget other than the one approved on January 1, 2024.

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In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Ningi, the chair of the Senate Committee on Population and the Northern Senators’ Forum, said that a N25 trillion budget—rather than the N28.7 trillion that is currently in effect—was discussed and approved.

Reacting to the allegations for the first time in public, Tinubu said, “I know the arithmetic of the budget and the numbers that I brought to the National Assembly, and I know what numbers came back.

“I appreciate all of you for the expeditious handling of the budget. Thank you very much.

“Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; they did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought. But your integrity is intact.”

Tinubu thanked the lawmakers, adding that Nigerians are at the “turning corner” of the economic challenges.

“The natural challenge we are facing will be over. On the current economic difficulty, we are about turning the corner.

“Our revenue has improved. All we have to do is to control expenditures and manage ourselves better.

“Light is at the end of the tunnel, and Nigerians will soon smile again,” the President noted.

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