BudgIT says the National Assembly added 11,122 projects totalling N6.93 trillion to the 2025 budget on Monday.
According to BudgIT, a civic tech group that promotes openness in public finance, the move has once again sparked grave worries about budgetary misuse and political manipulation.
“You will be surprised at what we discovered after going through the 2025 FG Budget,” BudgIT wrote on X.
According to The Intercept, the National Assembly approved a N54.99 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2025.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s request, the National Assembly increased the budget from its initial N49.7 trillion to N54.2 trillion.
BudgIT expressed its regret in a statement issued on Tuesday that the National Assembly’s budgetary additions were unwarranted.
“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.”
BudgIT identified 984 projects worth N1.71 trillion and 238 projects worth more than N5 billion apiece, for a total of N2.29 trillion. Additionally, it identified 1,119 projects totalling over N641 billion, ranging from N500 million to N1 billion, which it characterised as primarily indiscriminate and politically driven.
BudgIT’s study further highlights that 1,972 of the inserted projects, valued at N444.04 billion, are linked to senatorial districts, while 3,573 of the projects, valued at N653.19 billion, are intended for federal constituencies.
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In addition, there are 538 borehole projects valued at N114.53 billion, 2,122 ICT-related projects at N505.79 billion, and 1,477 streetlight projects valued at N393.29 billion. Additionally, N6.74 billion was set aside for “traditional ruler empowerment.”
BudgIT was upset that 4,371 projects totalling N1.72 trillion, or 39% of all insertions, were forced into the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget, increasing its capital allocation from N242.5 billion to N1.95 trillion.
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Budgets for other ministries, including Science and Technology and Budget and Economic Planning, were likewise inflated by insertions alone.
BudgIT encouraged Tinubu to modify the budget process to show executive leadership.
Tinubu should make sure that the budget is in line with Nigeria’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025), according to the organisation.
It also asked the Attorney General of the Federation to seek a constitutional interpretation of the National Assembly’s appropriation powers, particularly its ability to introduce new capital projects without executive concurrence.
