President Bola Tinubu says Nigerians accusing the Senate of “malicious embellishments” of the 2024 budget “did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought.”

Mr Tinubu said this when he hosted the Senate leadership to a dinner to break the Ramadan fast at the State House on Thursday in Abuja.

He said his government would continue to support the military in neutralising security threats nationwide.

“Our armed forces are working hard, and we will not allow attackers to undermine the integrity and value of our armed forces and its leadership. We will continue to encourage and fight for our sovereignty, our individual rights to exist, and we will succeed in banishing poverty from our land,’’ the president stated.

Regarding budget padding, Mr Tinubu said that the integrity of the National Assembly must remain intact and that his administration would always encourage cooperation for the nation’s advancement.

“I know the arithmetic of the budget and the numbers that I brought to the National Assembly, and I know what numbers came back. I appreciate all of you for the expeditious handling of the budget. Thank you very much.

“Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget: they did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought. But your integrity is intact. I am grateful for what you have been doing. The natural challenge we are facing will be over.

“On the current economic difficulty, we are about turning the corner. Our revenue has improved. All we have to do is to control expenditure and manage ourselves better,” the president explained.

Mr Tinubu thanked members of the National Assembly for the speedy attention given to the Student Loan Amendment Bill and urged more tolerance, forgiveness, and charity during Ramadan.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio thanked Mr Tinubu for hosting the lawmakers, noting that regular interactions would enhance understanding and productive governance.

(NAN)