Senate Speaks On ‘N500 Million Given’ To Senators For Constituency Projects

The Senate has refuted a claim that some lawmakers got N300 million to N500 million as funds for constituency projects.

The Senate had a rowdy session on Tuesday after Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe (PDP-Cross River North) claimed that some “senior senators” got N500 million in the 2024 budget for constituency projects.

Jarigbe made the claim while contributing to the motion moved by Senator Solomon Adeola, representing Ogun West, regarding the allegation of the 2024 budget padding.

The Cross River lawmaker alleged that all senators are guilty if they investigate the budget and constituency projects.

He said: “We are going forth and back on these issues — the issue of the budget and individual issues concerning what came to our various constituencies.

“If we want to discuss those issues, all of us are culpable. Some senior senators received N500 million each. I’m a ranking senator; I did not receive one. Did I go to the press? Most of you got it.

“Let us wash our dirty linen in public.”

Speaking with reporters after plenary on Tuesday, the Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, described the allegation that some senators received constituency funds as a fairy tale.

Adaramodu said the Senator who raised the issue had recanted, claiming that he also got the information as a rumour somewhere.

He said, “There is no N500m largesse anywhere. The senator who raised it had since recanted, claiming that somebody told him somewhere.”

He also said the allegation that a section of the country was allocated more funds than other regions was not put in the right perspective, saying that allocations were done sectorally.

The Senate spokesperson said the integrity of the National Assembly was in question, hence the matter was treated with the seriousness it deserved.

Adaramodu, however, urged journalists to study the 2024 budget to investigate allocations to the National Assembly.