Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, has said that as a principal officer in the 10th National Assembly, he got more than the N200m allocation his colleagues and floor members got for constituency projects in the 2024 Appropriation Act.
This is coming following an allegation made by Senator Jarigbe Agom-Jarigbe, from Cross River North, that some senators got the total of N500 million each from the 2024 Budget for constituency projects.
INFORMATION NIGERIA recalls that Agom-Jarigbe, had on Tuesday, during a session in Abuja, made the the revelation while the lawmakers debated budget padding claims by Senator Abdul Ningi from Bauchi Central Senatorial District.
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However, Ndume in his reaction to the claim, told Channels TV, on Wednesday, that: “It’s disparity now, we are not the same; all animals are equal but some are more equal than the other. That’s what the case is. They have agreed to that.
“All the senators have N200m (each) as their constituency projects but I am a leader. That is the difference. 10 of us are leaders including those in the opposition. We get more than the floor members. It’s normal.
“My colleagues know that I go more than them (floor members).
“That decision is taken by the senators. We have the senate budget committee before but now the floor members entrusted that to the presiding officers. That’s the difference. So, most the senators don’t know what I get and I will not tell you.”
