Terrific: BudgiT Uncovers N6.93Trn Dubious Project Insertions By National Assembly In 2025 Budget

A civic technology organization championing transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s public finance, BudgiT has raised alarm over what it described as “massive irregularities” in the 2025 Appropriation Act of the Federal Government.

BudgIT also declared that 11,122 projects, amounting to N6.93 trillion, were inserted into the Appropriation Act by the National Assembly without any proper justification or alignment with national development priorities.

The organisation stressed that more troubling, is the misuse of agencies like the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute and the Federal Cooperative College in Oji River, which were repurposed as conduits for politically motivated projects.

BudgIt specifically noted that the Oji River institution, a training center, was assigned N3 billion for utility vehicles, N1.5 billion for electrification in Rivers State, and N1 billion for solar streetlights in Enugu State, emphasising that none of which fall under its mandate.

These were contained in a statement by Nancy Odimegwu, Senior Communications Associate of BudgiT in which she noted that 238 projects, each valued above N5 billion and totalling N2.29 trillion, were inserted with little to no documentation or justification, adding that another 984 projects worth N1.71 trillion and 1,119 projects valued between N500 million and N1 billion that added up to N641.38 billion were flagged as indiscriminate insertions that lacked strategic relevance.

The organisation said that the insertions appeared more focused on political self-interest than national progress, stressing that the budget process has evolved into a tool for exploitation and abuse, led by top-ranking members of the National Assembly.

Budgit further said that a detailed breakdown showed that 3,573 of the projects worth N653.19 billion, were directly allocated to federal constituencies, while 1,972 projects worth N444.04 billion were designated for senatorial districts.

The statement further said; “Among the most glaring anomalies were 1,477 streetlight projects costing N393.29 billion, 538 boreholes totalling N114.53 billion, 2,122 ICT projects valued at N505.79 billion, and N6.74 billion earmarked for the empowerment of traditional rulers”.

BudgIT also disclosed that 39% of all the questionable insertions totalling 4,371 projects worth N1.72 trillion were pushed into the Federal Ministry of Agriculture’s budget, thereby inflating its capital budget from N242.5 billion to N1.95 trillion.

Similarly, the Federal Ministries of Science and Technology and Budget and Economic Planning also showed that their allocations balloon to N994.98 billion and N1.1 trillion respectively due to the insertions.

BudgiT said that despite these damning findings, the Presidency has remained silent, just as it recalled launching the “The Budget is a Mess” campaign in 2024 to draw attention to the issues, and submitted formal letters to the Presidency, Budget Office, and National Assembly.

It said even though the letters were acknowledged, however, none of the bodies responded or took responsibility.

Commenting on the development, BudgiT’s Country Director, Gabriel 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. It undermines national planning, distorts development priorities, and diverts scarce resources into the hands of political elites”.

BudgIT therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to as a matter of national importance, exercise decisive leadership and realign the budgeting process with the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025).

It also tasked the Attorney General of the Federation to seek a Supreme Court interpretation on the extent of the National Assembly’s appropriation powers and also called on anti-corruption agencies, particularly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), to probe and track the insertions.

BudgiT also called on Nigerians, the media, civil society, and the development community, to speak out, stressing that the trend is not just about financial mismanagement, but a matter of justice, equity, and the future of governance.