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The Senate has made clarifications on N70billion appropriated to the National Assembly from the recently passed N819billion amended 2022 supplementary budget.
Some national dailies had Thursday after the passage of the N819.5billion 2022 supplementary budget by the Senate, reported that the N70billion allocated to the 469 federal lawmakers, was part of the N500billion set aside for subsidy withdrawal palliatives as requested for by President Bola Tinubu.
But the Senate in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC Ekiti South), in Abuja, Sunday, said the report was misleading and completely wrong.
Adaramadu in the statement titled: “Senate Refutes Alleged Padding of Supplementary Budget,” said the N70billion appropriated for the National Assembly was not for private pockets of the 469 federal lawmakers but for provision of conducive working environment as regards required items in their various offices.
He stated that the N70billion was allocated to National Assembly from the N819.5billion and not from the N500billion specifically appropriated for palliatives for cushioning effects of fuel subsidy removal on vulnerable Nigerians.
“Just as N500 billion was appropriated from the N819.5billion 2022 Supplementary budget for palliatives and other capital expenditure to cushion the effect of recent subsidy removal, N185,2billion to Ministry of Works and Housing to alleviate the impact of the severe flooding experienced in the country in 2022 on road infrastructure, N19, 2billion to Federal Ministry of Agriculture to tackle severe flooding experienced last year, N35 billion to National Judicial Council ( NJC), N10 billion FCTA , for critical projects execution; was N70 billion allocated to NASS to support the working conditions of new members.
“A visit to the suites, offices and the general structures of the National Assembly complex, would reveal a yawning and the need for exigent attention.”
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