‘It was a deceit’ — NNPP lawmaker claims Tinubu presented budget without details

Yusuf Galambi, a lawmaker representing the Gwaram federal constituency of Jigawa in the house of representatives, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu presented a budget without details to the parliament.

On Wednesday, Tinubu presented the 2024 appropriation bill of N27 trillion before the joint sitting of the national assembly.

The president said the budget would cement macroeconomic stability, reduce the deficit, and increase capital spending and allocation to reflect the eight priority areas of his administration.

However, speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa on Friday, Galambi, who is a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), said the president after addressing lawmakers, presented the budget wihout details.

He said the document Tinubu presented did not contain a breakdown of what every agency and organisation of government would get.

“The president read his speech to us on the 2024 budget. But regarding the document of the budget, we did not see it,” Galambi said.

“He just read his calculations to us but did not give us a breakdown of what every organisation will get like the way it is done every time where a document of what will be spent will be presented. But this time around nothing was brought to us.

“We checked the case of the document he presented and found it empty.

“In the history of the national assembly, such incident has never happened until this year and this is not what the constitution of the country said should be done.

“What just took place was a paper containing things that are going to be done was read before us.

“But the document was not given to us to go through to see what each and every organisation would get.

“This incident is shocking because we have never seen anything like it or ever dreamt of it to happen until this year.

“We see this matter as deceit. If you are not done with preparing the budget, then why come and tell lawmakers you are ready.

“Wait until you are ready then come and properly present it to us. What is the point of rushing to come and present an empty document?”

Meanwhile, the 2024 appropriation bill has passed second reading in the house of representatives during plenary on Friday.