The allegation by the currently suspended Bauchi Central Senator, Abdul Ningi, that N3.7 Billion was embedded in the 2024 budget has sparked interest in the integrity of the budget and how much lawmakers got for constituency projects.
While the allegation was being discussed by the Senators during plenary last Tuesday, Cross River North Senator, Jarigbe Agbom-Jarigbe said some senators got about N500 million each for constituency projects in the 2024 budget.
Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, however, disclosed in a subsequent interview with Channels TV on Wednesday that each Senator received N200 million for their constituency projects, and the ranking senators, like himself, received more than that.
He, however, didn’t reveal a specific figure they got.
The high-ranking senators include the senate president, deputy senate president, leaders and others who cut across party lines.
Below is the list of the ranking senators in the current 10th Senate who might have got more than N200 million for constituency projects.
Godswill Akpabio
Akpabio is the current Senate President and the highest-ranking senator in the 10th Senate by virtue of his position. He currently serves as a senator representing Akwa Ibom north-west for the second term.
Jibrin Barau
Barau is the deputy senate president and the second highest-ranking senator after Akpabio. He is representing Kano North for the third time in the Nigeria senate. He had been a member of the House of Representatives before crossing to the upper chamber.
Opeyemi Bamidele
The lawmaker representing Ekiti Central senatorial district is the current majority leader in the Senate. The Ekiti-born politician is a second-term senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He has been in the Senate since 2019.
Abba Moro
The senator representing Benue North-East has been in the senate since 2019 after he replaced a two-term senate president, David Mark. Moro was a former minister of interior and the current chairman of the governing council of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue state capital.
Ali Ndume
The outspoken senator has been representing the people of Borno South senatorial district since 2011 and is the current chief whip of the Senate. Ndume was a member of the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2011 before crossing to the Senate in the 2011 general election.
Ned Nwoko
Nwoko is not a principal officer of the 10th Senate, but the Delta North lawmaker revealed on Saturday during a podcast that he got as much N1 billion for constituency projects, adding that how much each lawmaker gets depends on his/her negotiating power.