Nwoye absolves self from budget padding, says he was allocated N250m, not N500m

PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District under the Labour Party (LP), Tony Nwoye has refuted claims that he received N500 million from the controversial 2024 budget.

Nwoye spoke on the heels of the Senator Agom Jarigbe revelations.

Agom, representing Cross River North Senatorial District had disclosed that certain senior senators received N500 million each from the budget.

The disclosure was made on the floor of the Senate amidst escalating controversy triggered by Senator Abdul Ningi’s allegations of fraudulent inflation of the budget by N3.7 trillion.

Senator Ningi who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Population, had in a recent interview with BBC Hausa said that the National Assembly approved a budget of N25 trillion for the 2024 fiscal year, in stark contrast to the N28.7 trillion reportedly being implemented by the federal government.

The allegations have sparked widespread condemnation, with many Nigerians criticizing Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s leadership over the alleged fraudulent practices.

Responding to a query from a social media user with the handle @RealOlaudah who expressed hope that he did not partake in the alleged misappropriation of funds, Nwoye said that he did not receive any N500 million as a constituency project.

He said he was rather allocated N250 million for 2024 zonal intervention projects. Emphasizing his status as a first-time senator, he highlighted that the allocated funds had not yet been disbursed.

While reassuring his constituency, Senator Nwoye vowed to uphold their trust, elucidating that the allocation of funds, specifically 250 million naira to each senator from the South East, had been a longstanding practice ppredating his tenure in the House of Representatives in 2015.

He explained that the funds are not disbursed in cash to individual senators but are tied to specific projects aimed at addressing immediate community needs.