Ndume: I got more than N200m for constituency projects because all animals are not equal

Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, has declared that while some senators got about N200 million or less for constituency projects in the 2024 Appropriation Act, he got more because “all animals are not equal”.

To him, as a principal officer in the 10th National Assembly, what is due to him must be more than what other senators get.
He said: “We are not the same. All animals are equal but some are more equal than the other. That’s what the case is. They have agreed to that.
“All the senators have N200m (each) as their constituency projects but I am a leader. That is the difference. Ten of us are leaders, including those in the opposition. We get more than the floor members. It’s normal”.
Ndume disclosed this on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Wednesday, in response to allegations by Senator Jarigbe Agom-Jarigbe (Cross River North) who protested publicly on Tuesday that some senators got N500 million each from the 2024 Budget for constituency projects.

On Tuesday, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central District) who claimed that about N3.7 trillion was not tied to any project in the 2024 N28.7 trillion budget, was suspended for three months.
After his suspension, he resigned as Chairman of Northern Senators’ Forum (NSF).
Reacting to Agom-Jarigbe’s claims, Ndume said: “We are not the same; all animals are equal but some are more equal than the other. That’s what the case is. They have agreed to that.
“All the senators have N200 million (each) as their constituency projects but I am a leader. That is the difference. Ten of us are leaders, including those in the opposition. We get more than the floor members. It’s normal.
“That decision is taken by the senators. We have the Senate Budget Committee before but now, the floor members entrusted that to the presiding officers. That’s the difference. So, most of the senators don’t know what I get and I will not tell you”.