I never said the federal government is operating two budget – Ningi

I never said the federal government is operating two budget – Ningi

By Musa Baba Adamu

Senator Abdul Ningi has clarified his statement on the budget currently being implemented by the federal government.

Responding to reports that he said the federal government was operating two budgets yesterday in Abuja, the Senator representing Bauchi state said he was misquoted.

According to him, while N25 trillion of the N28.7trillion was tied to projects and location, there are no projects and location tied to the remaining N3.7 trillion.

Senator Ningi who said even though he is the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), he didn’t speak on behalf of the Forum, restated that he blamed the region’s leaders for not extracting any commitments from President Tinubu.

He said: “I also said while we can tie N 25trillion to projects and location, we couldn’t establish what N 3trillion is for. As far as money, projects and location are concerned we know where the N25trillion is located but we don’t know where the N3trillion is tied to.”

On the allegation that he said President Tinubu is implementing anti North program, Sen Ningi he first blamed other Presidents him.

He said: “I don’t speak for Forum. I spoke in my capacity as a Senator of the Federal Republic and an opposition leader.

“In that interview, among other things I  said the North was facing a lot of challenges. In that interview I first criticized my own party President, Goodluck Jonathan for his failure to dredge river Niger. I also blamed Buhari for not completing Ajaokuta Steel Complex, the Abuja – Kaduna road and Mambilla.

“I said I don’t blame the President Tinubu because the northerners in his party never extracted any promise from him for the North.

“I also expressed my displeasure on the handling of the Niger republic problems to the extent that Niger has threatened to build its own Dam.”

Meanwhile, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim has said he would write the Police to prosecute Sen Ningi for inciting the public with the intention causing disaffection.

Also speaking yesterday, the Senator said should the Police failed to prosecute Sen Ningi, he would approach the court to seek for the order of Mandamus.

Sen Jimoh is a member of the Appropriation Committee of the Senate.

He said, “as a matter of urgency, charge Senator Ningi for criminal misinformation, and conduct likely to breach the peace of the country”.

“If the Senate will not do that within the next seven days, I will write a letter to the Inspector General of Police to investigate the circumstances leading to the approval of two 2024 Appropriation Acts and bring the culprits to book.

“It is not true that we have two Appropriations. Senator Ningi must be charged to court for conduct likely to cause breach of peace and criminal misinformation”.