Accountability group questions ₦962.8bn Allocation for empowerment projects, official vehicles in 2026 budget

Civic accountability organisation Tracka has raised concerns over provisions in the 2026 Federal Government budget, saying nearly ₦963 billion earmarked for empowerment projects and official vehicles exceeds the combined allocations to seven key federal ministries.

In its review of the 2026 Appropriation Bill, Tracka, an initiative of BudgIT, disclosed that ₦962.83 billion was budgeted for 2,579 empowerment projects valued at ₦947.7 billion and the procurement of 39 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) worth ₦15.13 billion.

According to the organisation, the combined allocation is higher than the total ₦960.27 billion budgeted for the Ministries of Livestock Development, Women Affairs, Industry, Trade and Investment, Justice, Housing and Urban Development, Aviation and Aerospace Development, and Petroleum Resources.

Tracka also raised concerns over the level of transparency surrounding the proposed empowerment projects, noting that only 70 of the 2,579 projects contain clearly identified implementation locations.

The group argued that the lack of specific locations could make it difficult for citizens, civil society organisations, and oversight bodies to monitor project execution and verify whether the initiatives are implemented as approved.

The review further revealed that the projects are spread across 184 implementing agencies, including institutions that, according to Tracka, do not traditionally have mandates related to empowerment or social intervention programmes.

Among the agencies receiving the largest allocations are the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, with 393 projects valued at ₦127.1 billion; the National Agricultural Development Fund, with six projects worth ₦89.5 billion; the Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin Kowa, Gombe State, with 216 projects valued at ₦88.1 billion; and the Federal College of Education (Technical), Bichi, with 94 projects worth ₦36.9 billion.

While acknowledging that properly designed empowerment programmes can contribute to poverty reduction and economic development, Tracka warned that poorly defined and inadequately monitored interventions risk becoming avenues for wasteful spending and political patronage.

The organisation also pointed to the broader fiscal context of the 2026 budget, which projects a significant deficit expected to be financed largely through domestic and external borrowing. It argued that such fiscal realities require greater emphasis on transparent spending and investments that deliver measurable public value.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Budget Office of the Federation nor the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning had publicly responded to the concerns raised in Tracka’s review of the 2026 budget.