The Senator representing Delta North Senatorial district in the National Assembly, Ned Nwoko, has confirmed receiving well over N1 billion for constituency projects in the 2024 budget.
As the budget padding scandal continues to rock the senate with legislators giving conflicting figures of amounts they got for projects in their constituencies, Nwoko, in a podcast on Sunday, corroborated claims by Senator Ali Ndume that the allocation of resources to legislators are often based on the magnitude of their constituency projects.
In the podcast, Nwoko noted that it was not an uncommon practice for a lawmaker to get a larger amount than others based on the project and their ability to lobby the leadership of the Senate.
“Senators get what they lobby for, not because they have the right to it,” Nwoko said.
“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, so 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 then delved into the amount he got for his constituency projects in the 2024 budget.
When asked whether he actually recieved N1bn, the Senator said:
“Of course I did. That’s why I am who I am. But these are projects for my people,” he boasted.