In a startling revelation, Yusuf Galambi, a member of the House of Representatives representing Gwaram federal constituency of Jigawa State, has accused President Bola Tinubu of presenting 'empty' boxes, purportedly containing the 2024 budget, to the joint session of the National Assembly.
According to an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Friday, Galambi, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), claimed that although President Tinubu read out the budget speech and proposed allocations for various sectors, he did not follow the tradition of presenting physical copies of the budget documents to lawmakers.
The President presented the N27.5 trillion proposed budget for 2024, christened 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.
After the budget speech, President Tinubu laid two boxes on the table in front of the presiding officers, following official procedure. The boxes, colored in the Nigerian national flag of green-white-green, were supposedly containing 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."
The opposition lawmaker, expressing surprise and disappointment, accused President Tinubu of deceit. He questioned the haste in presenting an allegedly incomplete budget, emphasizing that if the president was not ready, more time could have been given.
Galambi further alleged that leaders of the National Assembly are covering up Tinubu's act, 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 they decided not to inform us."
In response to the allegations, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, dismissed the claims as nonsensical. He explained that the president is not expected to present the entire set of heavy documents during the laying ceremony and likened the situation to the presentation of dummy cheques at award ceremonies, indicating that the real documents would follow.
The unfolding controversy raises questions about transparency, parliamentary traditions, and the potential political implications for President Tinubu, as the National Assembly investigates the allegations made by Galambi
