But for the strategic move by the presidency to secure the support of federal legislators, there would have been a showdown during President Bola Tinubu’s presentation of the 2025 budget to the National Assembly joint session.
A report has claimed there was an alleged offer to lawmakers prior to the Wednesday presentation of the 2025 budget that averted the showdown.
A report by POLITICS NIGERIA said that the deal undergirded the joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives, which at their separate plenaries on Thursday, passed for second reading the N49.7tn ‘Restoration’ 2025 budget.
The report said the Tinubu Presidency had been accused of using a hefty “N1 billion offer” in the form of addition to the constituency projects proposal, to appease lawmakers to avoid a showdown over tax reform bills during the 2025 budget presentation.
According to sources, an increased constituency project allowance was granted to each member of the House of Representatives, totalling N1 billion, just before the president presented the budget estimate to the National Assembly.
The move allegedly eased tensions between the executive and legislative branches, as lawmakers had initially planned to protest the tax reform bills.
It is understood that an emergency meeting with the House leadership led to the decision to shelve their plans.
The source said: “During the meeting, they appealed to members to respect the sanctity of the hallowed chambers and the existing cordial relationship with the Executive, to shelve their plans to disrupt President Tinubu’s speech.
“They therefore announced that the president had graciously increased the constituency allowance to N1billion per member.”
The report also revealed that each senator is likely to get about N2 billion to N4 billion, although the exact amount could not be independently verified.
Experts have raised concerns that this move may be a strategic manoeuvre, as the projects are likely to be awarded to companies handpicked by the lawmakers.
The money will be padded in the 2025 budget in the name of constituency projects, but it is a mere red-herring, a legislative expert revealed.
In the 2024 budget, lawmakers received between N200 million to N500 million, depending on their closeness to the Speaker or Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
In July, each senator and House of Representatives member received ₦500 million and N200 million, respectively, after approving the president’s request to increase the 2024 Appropriation Act by N6.2 trillion.
The tax reform bills have sparked intense debate, with some lawmakers and governors prominently from the Northern part of the country opposed to the proposed bills.
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