BudgIT, a prominent civic technology organization advocating for transparency in public finance, has raised alarm over what it describes as the indiscriminate insertion of over 11,000 projects into Nigeria’s 2025 federal budget by the National Assembly.
The group claims these projects, valued at N6.93 trillion, point to systemic misuse of the budgeting process for political gain.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had assented to the N54.99 trillion 2025 appropriation bill in February, following its approval by federal lawmakers.
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In its latest budgetary review, BudgIT criticised the federal budget as increasingly being manipulated to serve narrow political objectives rather than national development goals.
The organization described the process as having devolved into a “playground for self-serving political interests.”
According to a statement issued on Tuesday, the organization noted that these additions were made with little justification and often contradicted national priorities, compromising development and effective fiscal planning.
Among the thousands of inserted projects, BudgIT spotlighted 238 valued above N5 billion each, amounting to N2.29 trillion.
Another 984 projects carry a collective value of N1.71 trillion. It also raised red flags over 1,119 projects falling within the N500 million to N1 billion range, cumulatively exceeding N641 billion.
The group characterized these projects as largely arbitrary and driven by political motivations.
“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,” said Gabriel Okeowo, BudgIT’s country director.
“This trend, increasingly normalised, undermines the purpose of national budgeting, distorts development priorities, and redirects scarce resources into the hands of political elites.”
A breakdown of the controversial projects showed that 3,573 of them—worth N653.19 billion—were allocated to federal constituencies. Another 1,972 projects valued at N444.04 billion were directed to senatorial districts.
The report also identified a substantial number of what it described as repetitive and low-impact projects. These include 1,477 streetlight installations budgeted at N393.29 billion, 538 borehole schemes valued at N114.53 billion, and 2,122 ICT-related initiatives costing a combined N505.79 billion.
Additionally, N6.74 billion was allocated for the “empowerment of traditional rulers.” BudgIT voiced particular concern over the Ministry of Agriculture, which absorbed 39 percent of all insertions—4,371 projects—costing N1.72 trillion.
These additions, the group said, ballooned the ministry’s capital budget from N242.5 billion to N1.95 trillion. Similar budget inflations were observed in other ministries, including Science and Technology, as well as Budget and Economic Planning.
Further complicating matters, BudgIT highlighted the diversion of unrelated projects to smaller federal institutions with limited mandates.
Agencies such as the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute in Lagos and the Federal Cooperative College in Oji River were listed as recipients of multi-billion naira projects unrelated to their core responsibilities.
Examples cited include the allocation of N3 billion to the Cooperative College for utility vehicles, N1.5 billion for rural electrification in Rivers State, and N1 billion for solar-powered streetlights in Enugu.
“These are examples of agencies operating outside their mandates, managing projects unrelated to their statutory functions, and adding zero value to national development,” BudgIT stated.
Despite reaching out to key government bodies—including the Presidency, the Budget Office, and the National Assembly—BudgIT reported receiving no acknowledgment or assurances of accountability.
“Silence in the face of overwhelming evidence amounts to complicity,” the statement read.In light of these developments, BudgIT called on President Tinubu to take urgent action by overhauling the federal budgeting process and aligning it with the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025).
The organization also urged the Attorney General of the Federation to seek a judicial interpretation of the legislative powers granted to the National Assembly, particularly its authority to add new capital projects without executive input.
Additionally, it appealed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to scrutinize the inserted projects and follow the money trail to ensure transparency and accountability.
“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,” Okeowo said.
BudgIT concluded by calling on civil society groups, the media, international development partners, and the general public to actively push for reform, arguing that the issue transcends financial recklessness and touches on broader themes of justice, fairness, and responsible governance.
