How Akpabio Allegedly Inserted N20.5b In 2024 Budget For Himself
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has come under scrutiny since the hasty suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi who blew the whistle over alleged 2024 Budget padding.
Emerging facts indicate that Senator Akpabio had to quickly move against Senator Ningi to avoid prying eyes of Nigerians over the budget padding.
This was as it discovered in a screenshot of the 2024 Budget obtained by Forefront News that the former governor of Akwa Ibom State secretly inserted N2.5billion into the 2024 Budget of the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs to cover five empowerment projects which he claimed were meant for the people of his constituency, Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District at the cost of N500,000,000 for each of the project for which there was no survey and cost evaluation carried out.
The budget padding did not end with the Ministry of Women Affairs alone as Akpabio was alleged to have also sneaked in N18 billion into the Federal Ministry of Agriculture 2024 Appropriation Act under the disguise of purchasing some units of Transformers and installing solar street lights in his constituency.
This was as it gathered that the Presidency equally approved another N2.5billion for the same Senator Akpabio for the procurement of Deep Freezers, Generators among other items as empowerment projects for the people of his constituency.
Akpabio during plenary following the controversy that trailed the interview granted the BBC Hausa service by Senator Abdul Ningi, declared that the integrity of the Senate has been totally damaged.
However, Nigerians have reacted to the alleged Budget padding saying that it was absurd to hear that those voted in as representatives of the people are the same people milking them.
In his comment, Festus Bello said; “Just look at the looting done by one man in just less than one year as Senate President? We can imagine what will happen after four years? They have finished the country”.
