Senate Press Corps Advocates Stronger Oversight, Media Synergy to Check Budget Padding

The Senate Press Corps has called for strengthened legislative oversight and enhanced collaboration with the media to curb unlawful insertions into the nation’s budgetary process.
The Chairman, Senate Press Corps, Mr Taiye Odewale made the call on Monday at a one-day capacity- enhancing workshop organised by the Senate Press Corps at the National Assembly, Abuja.
The workshop has as theme, “Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertions”.
The workshop focused on strengthening the capacity of lawmakers and journalists to detect and expose irregularities in the budgetary process.
He said closer synergy between the National Assembly and the media would promote public scrutiny and deter infractions in budget preparation and implementation.
‎Odewale said controversy surrounding alleged inclusion of Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which was subsequently declared non-existent, in 2026 budget underscored need for greater scrutiny of the appropriation process.
‎He recalled that the controversy emerged in July after reports that the alleged agency had found its way into the N68.32 trillion 2026 budget passed by both chambers of the National Assembly in March and assented to by President Bola Tinubu.
‎According to him, journalists covering the Senate investigated the matter and found that the alleged N1.3 billion allocation to PFIPC was not part of the N9.853 trillion increase made to the N58.47 trillion proposal submitted by the Executive.
‎He said the adjustment eventually brought the total 2026 budget to N68.32 trillion.
‎Odewale noted that position of the Senate, as conveyed by its spokesperson, during the controversy further supported the findings of the national assembly journalists.
According to him, the alleged PFIPC insertion as discovered by journalists was external to budgetary additions made by the national assembly.
‎He said the matter was appropriately being challenged by the Executive in court.
‎The Senate Press Corps chairman, however, stressed the need to prevent a recurrence of what he described as external and unlawful insertions into the annual national budget.
‎He said the media must leverage its investigative capacity alongside the constitutional oversight functions of the Senate and House of Representatives to detect, expose questionable budgetary practices.
‎“We believe that the presentations by our eminent and highly respected resource persons will enrich us with the required knowledge and ways of detecting such irregularities,” Odewale said.
‎Among the resource persons expected at the workshop are the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu; Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Mr Auwal Rafsanjani.
Others are Director of BudgIT, Mr Oluseun Onigbinde and Publisher of Eagle Times Newspaper, Mr Ikechukwu Chukwunyere.
‎Odewale also said goodwill messages from key budget stakeholders in the National Assembly would provide journalists with deeper insights into the budget process, including lawful insertions, scrutiny and passage.
‎Those expected to deliver goodwill messages include the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio; Deputy President of the Senate, Sen.Barau Jibrin; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sen. Solomon Adeola.
Others are Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Sen.Sani Musa, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Sen. Kawu Sumaila; and the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana.
‎He said their contributions would help journalists covering the National Assembly to better understand the intricacies of budgetary processes and improve their reporting.
‎The Senate Press Corps chairman also highlighted the importance of technology in modern journalism.
He said a technical training on the use of artificial intelligence tools by London-based Adeola Ademokoya of Mass Media TX Limited would enhance the digital skills, efficiency and professionalism of participants.
‎Odewale expressed optimism that the workshop would equip journalists with knowledge and skills to improve their coverage of the national budget and legislative oversights.
‎He wished participants a knowledge-enriching and skills-enhancing workshop.