Tinubu Faces Allegations of Submitting ‘Hollow’ 2024 Budget to the National Assembly

In a surprising revelation, Yusuf Galambi, a member of the House of Representatives representing Gwaram federal constituency of Jigawa State, has accused President Bola Tinubu of presenting allegedly ’empty’ boxes containing the 2024 budget to the joint session of the National Assembly.

During an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Friday, Galambi, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), asserted that despite President Tinubu delivering the budget speech and outlining proposed allocations for various sectors, he deviated from the customary practice of physically presenting copies of the budget documents to lawmakers.

President Tinubu unveiled the proposed N27.5 trillion budget for 2024, named the ‘Budget of Renewed Rope,’ to the National Assembly on Wednesday. The budget aimed to address economic growth, human capital development, poverty reduction, and insecurity.

Following the budget speech, President Tinubu placed two boxes on the table in front of the presiding officers, adhering to official procedure. The boxes, adorned in the Nigerian national flag colors of green-white-green, were believed to contain the budget documents.

However, Galambi alleges that the boxes were empty, stating, “We’ve checked, but there was nothing inside. We checked it. In the history of the National Assembly, this was the first time such a thing happened.”

Expressing surprise and disappointment, the opposition lawmaker accused President Tinubu of deception. He questioned the urgency in presenting an allegedly incomplete budget, emphasizing that if the president was unprepared, more time could have been granted.

Galambi further asserted that leaders of the National Assembly are concealing Tinubu’s actions, stating, “They (leaders of the National Assembly) don’t want anyone to talk about it. Maybe they were not informed or were possibly aware of what was planned and decided not to inform us.”

Responding to the allegations, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, dismissed the claims as nonsensical. He clarified that the president is not expected to present the entire set of voluminous documents during the laying ceremony and likened the situation to the presentation of dummy cheques at award ceremonies, indicating that the actual documents would follow.

This unfolding controversy raises questions about transparency, adherence to parliamentary traditions, and potential political ramifications for President Tinubu, as the National Assembly looks into the allegations put forth by Galambi.

By Ijezie Victor