Budget furore: Why some senators got N500 million – Jarigbe

• During the rowdy session, Jarigbe stirred the hornet’s net and got tongues wagging when he claimed that some senators got half a billion naira while some got nothing

The People’s Democratic Party, PDP lawmaker, representing Cross River North, Senator Jarigbe Agom-Jarigbe, has clarified is comments that some of his colleagues received N500 million in the 2024 budget.

Matters came to a head on Tuesday during plenary when senators were deliberating on the allegation made by Senator Abdul Ningi representing Bauchi Central that the 2024 budget was padded with untraceable N3.7 trillion.

During the rowdy session, Jarigbe stirred the hornet’s net and got tongues wagging when he claimed that some senators got half a billion naira while some got nothing.

Speaking during in an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Jarigbe said the money in question was for the senators to execute projects and not for their pockets.

He noted that there was never a time when constituencies in the country got the same resources or funds.

He said, “There has never been a time when we had an equitable distribution of resources or values to constituencies across the country. It has never happened, so what’s happening now is not novel.

“That is why I stated it unequivocally on the floor of the Senate that while Senator Ningi raised the issue of some senators having N50, N100 billion on the budget for their constituency;

“…I have it on good authority that some senators were given projects worth N500 million in their budgetary provision for their senatorial district, not that senators were given N500 million for their pockets. My mic went off while I was making my point.

“The truth is that some of them had more funding in their sentorial district, while some of us had less. So there was no need for some of us who are encumbered to go to the press to make statements that are unfounded,” he said.

Recall that the 2024 Budget has been a subject of controversy, with Senator Abdul Ningi alleging that the Senate padded the 2024 budget to the tune of N3.7 trillion.