Amid controversy over padding the 2023 budget, Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and economic planning, says the National Assembly can increase budget lines.

“Do they (National Assembly) have the right to increase a budget line? I will say yes,”  Mr Bagudu, who was bagman of former military dictator, Sani Abacha regime notorious for recklessly looting Nigerian treasury, said at a press briefing on Thursday.

Before now, Peoples Gazette reported how Mr Bagudu assisted in laundering a large chunk of the estimated $2.2 billion stolen by the late kleptomaniac Nigerian leader.

Mr Bagudu argued that the National Assembly has the last say on the budget, adding that “constituency projects” were inserted into the budget long before now and that no law prohibited lawmakers from doing so.

“The evolution of constituency projects and projects by National Assembly members, which did not begin now but since 1999, is a reflection of the challenge that elected persons are facing,” Mr Bagudu said.

He added, “There has been a long debate and a former president went up to the Supreme Court to define the appropriation power of the executive and the National Assembly. Later, there was an out-of-court settlement. Till now, this issue has not been resolved.

“So, what is the power of the National Assembly as regards the budget? There is no Supreme Court judgement and the choice of our democracy is that the National Assembly has the last word. Even when they pass an appropriation that assent is refused, after 30 days, it becomes law.”

Speaking further, Mr Bagudu said what the National Assembly did with the 2023 budget was within the purview of its power.

“The president, in signing the 2024 appropriation, acknowledged that in democracy, institutions have their power and the National Assembly has the last word,” Mr Bagudu said.

“The president submitted a budget to the tune of N27.5 trillion and the National Assembly, in its wisdom, increased it to N28.7 trillion. When we presented the budget, it was at an exchange rate of N750 to a dollar but the assembly increased it to N800 to a dollar. That created more revenue. The assembly also appropriated that the government-owned enterprises contribute more revenue. Then there was the increase of the budget of the judiciary, legislature and executive,” he said.

The National Assembly has come under huge criticism after Senator Abdul Ningi alleged that the 2023 budget was padded with over N3 trillion.

The Senate on Tuesday debunked Mr Ningi’s allegations, suspending him for three months. Bayo Onanuga, a spokesperson for Mr Tinubu, had also dismissed Mr Ningi’s allegations in a statement last week.

But the allegations have remained on the front burner of public discussion as Nigerians call for an investigation into the matter.

Over the budget padding allegation, opposition party leader Atiku Abubakar berated Mr Tinubu’s administration, calling for a thorough probe into the issue.

Similarly, Peter Obi of the Labour Party said the suspension of whistle-blowing Mr Ningi does not answer questions raised about the 2023 budget, calling for an investigation into budget padding allegations.