Nigeria, March 16 -- The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, has said the National Assembly is empowered by the Constitution to make input into the budget proposal by the executive.

Mr Bagudu stated this on Thursday during a press briefing on the controversy surrounding alleged budget padding by the National Assembly.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported the storms that the allegation of budget padding was generating following an interview granted to BBC by Abdul Ningi, a senator from Bauchi State.

Mr Ningi, who was suspended by his colleagues on Tuesday, alleged an "unprecedented" level of insertion of projects into the 2024 budget by the lawmakers.

Speaking on the uproar over the padding allegation, Mr Bagudu, who is also ...