Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing the Abia South Senatorial District, has refuted claims that some senior senators received N500 million from the 2024 budget. He clarified that he personally received N266 million and not the alleged amount.
The assertion emerged after Senator Agom Jarigbe from Cross River North disclosed on Tuesday, March 12, that senior ranking senators were allocated N500 million each from the 2024 budget, while he received nothing. This revelation was made during a Senate session addressing allegations of budget padding raised by Senator Abdul Ningi from Bauchi Central.
Reacting to the allegation on Arise Television on Wednesday, March 13, Senator Abaribe dismissed the claim, stating that Senator Ningi knew it was a mistake to make such an assertion without proof. Abaribe denied receiving N500 million, clarifying that despite his seniority as a senator, he only received N266 million.
He emphasized, “Senator Ningi knew it was going to be a mistake… He knew that this wasn’t correct… I never got 500 million.” Abaribe elaborated on the distribution of Zonal Intervention Project funds among senators, explaining that the amount received varied based on factors such as the number of states in each zone.
Abaribe highlighted that the Southeast zone, from which he hails, has five states, resulting in his allocation of N266 million. He further elucidated that senators from zones with more states, like the Northwest with seven states, would receive comparatively less.
He concluded by underscoring the discrepancy in funding distribution among constituencies, emphasizing that not every constituency would receive an equal amount due to variations in the number of states within each zone.
