Speculations have recently emerged regarding the alleged
involvement of Senate President Godswill
Akpabio and several other senators in
padding President Bola Tinubu’s palliative budget by over N200 billion.
According to SaharaReporters, Akpabio and his colleagues took advantage of the
amendment made to the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act to inflate the
budget significantly.
The background to this story lies in the approval granted by
the Senate on Thursday to Tinubu’s request for the appropriation of N500
billion for palliatives. These funds were intended to alleviate the impact of
the removal of petrol subsidies on the Nigerian population. The motion was
sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, representing Ekiti Central, who
highlighted the importance of the bill during the Senate session.
The N500 billion was sourced from the N819 billion
Supplementary Appropriation Act of 2022. However, undisclosed sources revealed
to SaharaReporters that Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, and
Senator Solomon Adeola, also known as Yayi, were the key figures involved in
padding the budget with over N200 billion.
According to one source, “Akpabio and Adeola Yayi
inserted over N200 billion into Tinubu’s palliative budget. They padded in more
than N200 billion in the amended 2022 supplementary budget.” Another
source mentioned that Senator Ali Ndume and other senators strongly opposed the
act, leading to several senators walking out in protest. Despite the
opposition, Akpabio proceeded with passing the budget padding, with sources
highlighting him, Senator Jibrin Barau, and Senator Adeola Yayi as the main
architects behind this action.
SaharaReporters obtained documents that shed light on how
funds were allocated under the 2022 supplementary amendment. These documents
revealed various projects that had no previous allocations but suddenly
received significant amounts of funding. For instance, N1 billion was allocated
for the “supply of Tricycles (Keke NAPEP) to the underprivileged in
society.” Additionally, N2 billion was earmarked for the
“construction of public buildings in various communities and villages,”
while N4 billion was allocated to the rehabilitation and construction of
selected critical roads. The documents also revealed allocations for the
construction of classrooms, healthcare centers, roads, and infrastructure in
different regions.
The breakdown of the allocations includes N500 million for
the construction of Edi Road, Sabo Market, and Ilaro Township Road in Yewa
South, Ogun State. Furthermore, N1 billion was set aside for road construction
in Imeko, Afon, Iwoye, and Obada, also in Ogun State. Other allocations
included N800 million for police barracks in Ogun State, N700 million for rural
road construction in Ikot Ekpene LGA, Akwa Ibom, and N1.25 billion for the
construction of rural roads in Essien Udim LGA to improve farm produce
transportation.
The documents further outlined allocations for solar
streetlights, transformers, electrification, mini-grids, flood repairs,
educational facilities, and operational vehicles for the National Assembly,
amounting to billions of naira.
The revelations regarding the alleged budget padding by
Akpabio, Barau, and Yayi have sparked significant controversy and raised
concerns about financial mismanagement and corruption within the Senate.
Investigations are expected to be launched to determine the veracity of these
allegations and hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
