Delta North Senator, Ned Nwoko, has boasted that he got as much as N1 billion from the 2024 budget for constituency projects.
The lawmaker also confirmed that legislators don’t get the same amount for constituency projects, but each lawmaker gets what he/she can lobby for.
Nwoko, however, clarified that the money is not for the lawmakers in question but for the people of their constituencies.
“Senators get what they lobby for, not because they have the right to it. Everybody just goes about doing what they can do for their constituencies and senatorial districts.
“A better approach would have been for senatorial uniformity. So if they say that everyone should get about N1 billion, be it. But this way, you rely on your weight and contacts to see what you can get for your people.
“We are not talking about money for the senators. This is for projects within our senatorial districts. If you have road, water, or training programmes, all should aggregate to a particular amount,” he said in a podcast released on Saturday.
Asked if he got as much as N1 billion in allocation, the senator replied, “Of course, I did. That’s why I am who I am. But these are projects for my people.”
Nwoko’s revelation is coming amid the recent controversy of budget padding alleged by Senator Abdul Ningi of the 2024 budget with an extra N3.7 trillion.
The Senate has, however, denied any form of wrongdoing, arguing that the amount in question was allocated to them for constituency projects in their various districts and not for the personal pleasure of the senators.
