A former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has thrown more light on how members of the National Assembly pad Nigeria’s budgets.
Recall that a budget padding scandal is
currently rocking the National Assembly after Bauchi North senator, Abdul
Ningi, claimed that about N3.7 trillion in the 2024 Appropriation Act was not
tied to any project.
Although the Senate on Tuesday slammed Ningi with a three-month
suspension over the allegation, the lawmaker has insisted that there are
documents to back his claim.
While the issue continues to gain more attention from
concerned Nigerians, Shehu Sani, in a post on his official X handle on
Thursday, educated the public on what budget padding means, and how members of
the National Assembly go about the act.
According to him, “Paddling budget means tampering with the
budget presented by the President or the MDAs by either adding figures to the
costs of projects or inserting projects that were not in the original budget.
“For example, a Minister can say he wants to buy 5 Buckets
for his Ministry at 5k each; magically, he will see 8 Buckets approved for him
or 5 Buckets approved at the rate of 10k each or he will see Shovels and
diggers added to his request for Buckets.”
But Sani u did not finish the lecture even as it was not necessary.
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