- Ministries of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Budget and Economic Planning record bloated allocations
- Lawmakers accused of dumping politically motivated projects in weak MDAs
- We’re not elected to engage in confrontation with executive – Akpabio
The National Assembly inserted 11,122 projects worth N6.93 trillion in the 2025 Federal Government budget, BudgIT, a civil society organisation promoting transparency and accountability, has revealed.
This figure represents 12.61% of the ₦54.99 trillion approved by Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2025 FG budget.
A further analysis of the insertions reveals that 238 projects valued above N5 billion each were inserted with little to no justification, while 984 projects worth N1.71 trillion and 1,119 projects worth between N600 million and N1 billion were inserted.
In a statement released on Tuesday morning, the CSO described these insertions as indiscriminate, adding that they raise questions about their relevance and alignment with national priorities.
BudgIT also revealed some anomalies in the budget insertions, some of which include streetlights, boreholes, and ICT projects in various federal constituencies and senatorial districts.
“Categorically, some of the most glaring anomalies include 1,477 streetlight projects, worth N393.29 billion, 538 boreholes totaling N114.53 billion, 2,122 ICT projects valued at N505.79 billion and N6.74 billion earmarked for ministries
These insertions were made into the budgets of federal ministries, departments and agencies. The CSO also analysed the budget by looking into the ministries that got the most insertions.
The ministries of agriculture, science and technology, and budget and economic planning recorded the highest number of insertions, with the ministry of agriculture getting approximately 39% of all insertions.
“Shockingly, 39% of all insertions—worth N1.72 trillion—were forced into the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget, inflating its capital allocation from N242.5 billion to N1.95 trillion.
“The Ministries of Science and Technology and Budget and Economic Planning also saw bloated allocations of N994.48 billion and N1. trillion respectively, from insertions alone.”
Allocating projects to wrong agencies
Another anomaly revealed by the CSO is the allocation of projects to agencies that do not have jurisdiction over such projects.
For instance, in 2024, the Federal College of Fisheries in New Bussa, Niger State, spent almost N1 billion from its budgetary allocations for that year on the purchase of vehicles, tricycles, and other projects beyond its jurisdiction for communities in Lagos, Ogun, and others.
This has been a recurring issue over the years and has reared its ugly head yet again in the 2025 budget.
BudgIT noted that lawmakers have targeted agencies like the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute in Lagos and the Federal Cooperative College in Oji River for dumping politically motivated projects.
“These agencies lack the technical capacity to execute such projects, leading to rampant underperformance and waste,” the CSO noted.
It cited the case of the Federal Cooperative College in Oji River, a tertiary education institution, getting allocations of N3 billion for the purchase of utility vehicles to support farmers and distribution agents, N1.5 billion for electrification in Rivers State, among other insertions.
According to the CSO, these budgets are not mere cases of financial mismanagement but are closely related to justice, equity and the future of accountable governance in the country.
It also appealed to Tinubu to exercise stronger leadership in reforming the budget process and appealed to Nigerians to demand these reforms from the government.
“We also call on citizens, the media, civil society organizations, and the development community to speak out and demand reforms.”
In 2024, BudgIT revealed that N624 billion was allocated to agencies for over 2,558 projects outside the agencies’ mandate in the 2024 federal government budget.
That same year, lawmakers called for more funds for the National Orientation Agency’s budget to enable the agency to perform its duties.
This was despite insertions of N54, 866,711 for solar streetlights in Ado-Ekiti/Irepodun Ifelodun Federal Constituency of Ekiti. These projects were outside the agency’s agency.
Recall that in the third and fourth quarters of 2024, BudgIT launched the “The Budget is a Mess” campaign to bring these issues to light. We submitted formal letters outlining our findings to the Presidency, the Budget Office, and the National Assembly.
While these letters were acknowledged, no response was received from any of the institutions, and not a single institution has taken responsibility for the anomalies.
Even more concerning is the silence from the Presidency—silences which, in the face of overwhelming evidence, amounts to complicity”.
Commenting on the findings, BudgIT’s Country Director, Gabriel Okeowo, stressed the urgent need to restore integrity to Nigeria’s budgeting process, highlighting how unchecked project insertions by the National Assembly have derailed the purpose of national planning, weakened public trust, and diverted resources away from critical development priorities.
Okeowo said, “The insertion of over 11,000 projects worth N6.93 trillion into the 2025 budget by the National Assembly is not just alarming—it is an assault on fiscal responsibility. This trend, increasingly normalised, undermines the purpose of national budgeting, distorts development priorities, and redirects scarce resources into the hands of political elites. Nigeria cannot afford to run a government of projects without purpose. We urgently need transparency, constitutional clarity, and a return to evidence-based planning that puts citizens, not politics, at the centre of the budget.
“In light of the foregoing, we call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to exercise stronger executive leadership and reform the budgeting process to ensure alignment with the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025) and other national priorities. We urge the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to seek a constitutional interpretation from the Supreme Court regarding the extent of the National Assembly’s appropriation powers, particularly its authority to unilaterally introduce new capital projects without Executive concurrence. We hope that the anti-corruption agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), will also take action to track these projects and ensure Nigeria gets value for money.
“We also call on citizens, the media, civil society organisations, and the development community to speak out and demand reform. This is not merely about financial mismanagement—it is a matter of justice, equity, and the future of accountable governance in Nigeria. The 2025 Budget must serve the interests of the Nigerian people, not a privileged few,” BudgIT said.
We’re not elected to engage in confrontation with Executive – Akpabio
Meanwhile, President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has said that lawmakers were not elected to engage in confrontation with the Executive but to foster policies that promote national development.
The Senate President spoke in an upcoming feature documentary to mark two years of the Bola Tinubu administration.
Akpabio, reflecting on the importance of cooperation between the National Assembly and the Executive, said: “When elected into the National Assembly, whether in the Senate or the House of Representatives, your constituents will not give you boxing gloves. It’s not a boxing tournament. You are there to work in a bipartisan manner for the interest of Nigeria.”
The Senate President emphasised that the relationship between both arms of government has been cordial over the past two years, owing to a shared vision for the country’s progress.
“If you spend all your energy fighting the Executive, who will work for Nigeria?” he asked. He added that the current administration is unique in Nigeria’s history, with a President, First Lady, and Vice President, all former senators.
Highlighting legislative priorities, Akpabio revealed that the National Assembly is working on a bill mandating ministries, departments, and agencies to prioritise procuring locally assembled vehicles over imported alternatives.
“We have started the bill for enacting legislation to enable us first purchase automobiles from Nigerian companies before thinking of importing them.
“We lose billions of dollars annually importing vehicles and other items that can be produced locally,” he said.
The Senate President underscored the urgent need to revive Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, citing the collapse of the textiles industry and cash crops, such as cotton, groundnut, and palm oil, which were once the bedrock of the economy.
“Over 50 textile companies have left Nigeria. The cotton industry collapsed. The groundnut industry collapsed. The palm oil industry collapsed. Look at countries like Malaysia that have leveraged palm oil to boost their economies,” he lamented.
Akpabio praised the “Nigeria First” policy championed by the Tinubu administration, describing it as a “fantastic” initiative that deserves legislative backing.
He disclosed that discussions were ongoing with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council to promote laws ensuring Nigeria produces most of its consumption.
“We are going to make laws and produce bills that ensure almost every item we consume that can be produced in Nigeria is produced in Nigeria. Taking Nigeria First means bringing industries back to the country to serve our population of over 200 million,” he said.
Akpabio called for more significant support for local entrepreneurs, noting that even small-scale production ventures such as vinegar or bread could thrive in Nigeria’s vast consumer market.
“Even if you produce vinegar and bag it well, it will fly. If you produce bread, you will be a millionaire considering the kind of population that we have,” he stated.
The Senate President assured that the National Assembly is committed to passing the necessary legal instruments to sustain this industrial renaissance and reduce the country’s import dependence.
Regarding checks and balances, Akpabio refuted claims that the legislature is merely rubber-stamping executive decisions.
He noted that the National Assembly has occasionally rejected presidential nominees when necessary.
“People forget that we have made enemies by rejecting some of the nominees that the President sent to us. It’s not everything the President brings that he takes back the same way,” he said.
Akpabio maintained that the Assembly’s role is to scrutinise, amend, and support executive actions that align with national interest.
“Our job is to make sure we cross the T’s and dot the I’s to assist the President in having the best for the Nigerian population.”
The Senate President assured Nigerians that the 10th National Assembly will continue prioritising pro-people legislation supporting the President’s bold reform agenda.
“This government is not a government of theory; it’s a government of action. So, for us in the National Assembly, we are very focused on pro-people legislation,” Akpabio stated.
He cited several landmark legislative interventions that align with the administration’s reforms, including the Student Loan Act, Tax reform bills, and the Minimum Wage Bill.
“We have done quite a lot in just two years. I assure Nigerians that more people-focused laws are coming: laws that will reduce hardship, open the economy, and empower young people.
“From the perspective of the National Assembly, we have scrutinised almost every bill that the President has brought. We have aligned it with the Nigerian people’s realities and needs and supported it by ensuring they are speedily passed.
“We don’t waste time on anything that will enhance the living standard of Nigerians, “he said.