By Emmanuel Kwada
A shocking report by BudgIT, a leading civic technology organization, has uncovered massive irregularities in Nigeria’s 2025 Federal Government Budget, revealing that the National Assembly inserted 11,122 projects worth N6.93 trillion without proper justification or alignment with national development priorities.
In a statement signed by Nancy Odimegwu, BudgIT’s Senior Communications Associate, the organization flagged 238 projects valued at N2.29 trillion, each exceeding N5 billion, as lacking documentation or strategic relevance.
Additionally, 984 projects worth N1.71 trillion and 1,119 projects valued between N500 million and N1 billion (totaling N641.38 billion) were identified as indiscriminate insertions driven by political self-interest rather than national progress.
The insertion of over 11,000 projects worth N6.93 trillion is an assault on fiscal responsibility
BudgIT’s analysis revealed that 3,573 projects worth N653.19 billion were allocated to federal constituencies, while 1,972 projects valued at N444.04 billion were designated for senatorial districts.
Notable among the questionable projects are 1,477 streetlight installations costing N393.29 billion, 538 boreholes totaling N114.53 billion, 2,122 ICT projects worth N505.79 billion, and N6.74 billion for the “empowerment of traditional rulers.”
The Ministry of Agriculture bore the brunt of these insertions, with 4,371 projects worth N1.72 trillion inflating its capital budget from N242.5 billion to N1.95 trillion.
Similarly, the Ministries of Science and Technology and Budget and Economic Planning saw their budgets balloon to N994.98 billion and N1.1 trillion, respectively, due to politically motivated projects.
BudgIT highlighted the misuse of agencies like the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute and the Federal Cooperative College in Oji River, which were assigned projects unrelated to their mandates, such as N3 billion for utility vehicles and N1.5 billion for electrification in Rivers State.
It undermines national planning, distorts development priorities, and diverts scarce resources into the hands of political elites
“The insertion of over 11,000 projects worth N6.93 trillion is an assault on fiscal responsibility,” said Gabriel Okeowo, BudgIT’s Country Director. “It undermines national planning, distorts development priorities, and diverts scarce resources into the hands of political elites.”
Despite BudgIT’s 2024 “The Budget is a Mess” campaign and formal submissions to the Presidency, Budget Office, and National Assembly, no action or response has been forthcoming.
The organization has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to realign the budgeting process with the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025) and urged the Attorney General to seek a Supreme Court interpretation of the National Assembly’s appropriation powers.
We call on all Nigerians—citizens, media, civil society, and the development community—to demand accountability
BudgIT also appealed to the EFCC and ICPC to investigate these insertions.
“We call on all Nigerians—citizens, media, civil society, and the development community—to demand accountability,” BudgIT stated. “This is a matter of justice, equity, and the future of governance.”
The revelations have sparked widespread concern, with many calling for urgent reforms to restore transparency and integrity to Nigeria’s budgeting process.
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