Senator Shehu Sani gives clear insight on how senators pad national budget

A former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has given a clear insight on how members of the National Assembly inflate Nigeria’s national budget on a yearly basis.

The National Assembly is currently rocked by budget padding scandal after Bauchi North senator, Abdul Ningi, allegedly declared that about N3.7 trillion in the 2024 Appropriation Act was not linked to any appropriation.

The senator has been suspended for three months over the allegation while receiving backing from the Bauchi state governor,  Bala Mohammed ,and others in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the raging controversies that has unsettled the current administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

As Nigerians continue to debate the disturbing events at the upper legislative chamber, the former senator from Kaduna State, in a post on his official X handle on Thursday, enlightened his followers on how members of the National Assembly carry out budget padding.

Shehu Sani said, “Paddling budget means tampering with the budget presented by the President or the MDAs by either adding figures to the costs of projects or inserting projects that were not in the original budget.

“For example, a Minister can say he wants to buy 5 Buckets for his Ministry at 5k each; magically, he will see 8 Buckets approved for him or 5 Buckets approved at the rate of 10k each or he will see Shovels and diggers added to his request for Buckets.”