Ndume Reveals He Got Over ₦200m for Constituency Projects, Not All Senators Equal

Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has revealed that he and nine other ranking members got more than ₦200m for constituency projects in the 2024 Appropriation Act.

Ndume made this revelation in response to allegations by Senator Jarigbe Agom-Jarigbe from Cross River North, who claimed that some senators received a total of ₦500m each for constituency projects in the 2024 budget.

During a plenary session on Tuesday, Senator Abdul Ningi from Bauchi Central Senatorial District raised concerns about the alleged padding of ₦3.7trn in the ₦28.7trn budget, which led to his suspension by his colleagues for allegedly embarrassing the National Assembly’s integrity.

Ndume, in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today program, acknowledged that he and other senior members received more than the ₦200m allocated to floor members, citing their positions as leaders in the Senate.

He emphasized that all senators are not equal, and the disparity in allocation is a decision made by the senators themselves.

Ndume, a ranking member of the Senate, explained that ten leaders, including those in the opposition, receive more than the floor members.

He also mentioned that the Senate budget committee was previously responsible for allocating funds for constituency projects but now the presiding officers are entrusted with this responsibility.

While Ndume did not confirm or deny Agom-Jarigbe’s claim of ₦500m allocation for some senators, he maintained that the allocation for leaders is higher than that of floor members.

The revelation by Ndume has sparked a debate on the fairness and transparency of the allocation of funds for constituency projects among senators in the National Assembly.