A fresh report has emerged detailing how federal lawmakers allegedly smuggled N6.93 trillion worth of questionable projects into the 2025 national budget.
BudgIT, a civic tech organization focused on public finance transparency, disclosed on Monday that it uncovered 11,122 inserted projects amounting to N6.93 trillion. The group described the insertions as grossly inflated and politically motivated.
“We have combed through the 2025 FG Budget, and you will be shocked at what we found,” BudgIT wrote in a post on X.
In a follow-up statement released on Tuesday, BudgIT’s Country Director, Gabriel Okeowo, expressed alarm over the findings.
“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,” Okeowo said.
He warned that the trend of unchecked insertions is undermining Nigeria’s budgeting process.
“This trend, increasingly normalised, undermines the purpose of national budgeting, distorts development priorities, and redirects scarce resources into the hands of political elites.”
BudgIT’s analysis highlighted 238 projects, each valued above N5 billion, totalling N2.29 trillion, and 984 projects worth N1.71 trillion. Additionally, 1,119 projects in the N500 million to N1 billion range, collectively worth N641 billion, were flagged as largely indiscriminate and politically driven.
The report further revealed that 3,573 constituency projects worth N653.19 billion and 1,972 senatorial projects totalling N444.04 billion were embedded into the budget. It also cited 1,477 streetlight projects valued at N393.29 billion, 2,122 ICT projects worth N505.79 billion, and 538 borehole projects at N114.53 billion. Notably, N6.74 billion was earmarked for the “empowerment of traditional rulers.”
One of the most striking findings was that 39 percent of the insertions—4,371 projects valued at N1.72 trillion—were funneled into the Ministry of Agriculture, inflating its capital allocation from N242.5 billion to N1.95 trillion.
Other ministries, including Budget and Economic Planning and Science and Technology, also saw significant spikes due to similar insertions.
BudgIT urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take decisive action by reforming the budget process to prevent abuse and ensure alignment with the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025).
The organization also called on the Attorney General of the Federation to seek a constitutional interpretation of the National Assembly’s power to introduce new capital projects without executive consent.
