BudgIT alarms over N6.93 Trillion budget padding by National Assembly, calls for reforms

BudgIT, a civic tech organization dedicated to public finance transparency, has raised a significant alarm over alleged budget padding by the National Assembly in the 2025 federal budget.

The organization revealed insertions of 11,122 projects totaling N6.93 trillion, sparking renewed concerns about fiscal abuse and political manipulation within Nigeria’s budgeting process.

According to BudgIT’s latest analysis, the budgeting process has become a “playground for self-serving political interests.” Some analysts suggest that this revelation justifies concerns about an “unholy alliance” between the executive and legislature, and alleged intimidation of the judiciary, which they claim has eroded the doctrine of separation of powers and checks and balances.

President Bola Tinubu had signed the N54.99 trillion budget into law in February 2025.

However, BudgIT, in a statement released on Tuesday, asserts that these insertions were made with “little to no justification,” undermining national planning and diverting funds from essential development priorities.

The organization highlighted particularly worrisome insertions, including 238 projects, each valued above N5 billion, totaling N2.29 trillion, and another 984 projects worth N1.71 trillion.

BudgIT also flagged 1,119 projects ranging from N500 million to N1 billion, collectively worth over N641 billion, as largely indiscriminate and politically motivated.

 “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.”

The analysis further indicated that 3,573 of the inserted projects, valued at N653.19 billion, are designated for federal constituencies, while 1,972 projects, worth N444.04 billion, are tied to senatorial districts.

The flagged projects include 1,477 streetlight projects worth N393.29 billion, 538 borehole projects at N114.53 billion, and 2,122 ICT-related projects totaling N505.79 billion.

Additionally, N6.74 billion was earmarked for the “empowerment of traditional rulers.”

BudgIT expressed shock that 39 percent of all insertions – 4,371 projects valued at N1.72 trillion – were pushed into the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget, inflating its capital allocation from N242.5 billion to N1.95 trillion.

Other ministries, such as Science and Technology and Budget and Economic Planning, also saw their budgets significantly inflated through these insertions.

Even more troubling, the group stated, is the alleged misuse of smaller federal agencies like the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute in Lagos and the Federal Cooperative College in Oji River, which were purportedly used as conduits for projects outside their mandates. Examples cited include the Cooperative College being allocated N3 billion for utility vehicles, N1.5 billion for rural electrification in Rivers State, and N1 billion for solar 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 submitting formal letters to the Presidency, the Budget Office, and the National Assembly, BudgIT reported receiving no response or indication of accountability from any government institution, stating that “Silence in the face of overwhelming evidence amounts to complicity.”

The civic-tech organization is now urging President Tinubu to demonstrate executive leadership by reforming the budget process and ensuring alignment with Nigeria’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025).

They also appealed to the Attorney General of the Federation to seek a constitutional interpretation of the National Assembly’s appropriation powers, particularly concerning its ability to introduce new capital projects without executive concurrence.

Furthermore, BudgIT called on anti-corruption agencies like the EFCC and ICPC to investigate the inserted projects and track public funds 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 called on civil society, the media, development partners, and citizens to demand reform, asserting that the issue transcends mere financial mismanagement and is fundamentally about justice, equity, and accountable governance.