BudgIT Uncovers Illegal ₦6.93 Trillion in Alleged Budget Padding by National Assembly

 

Civic tech organisation BudgIT has raised alarm over what it describes as a staggering breach of fiscal transparency in Nigeria’s 2025 budget. The firm claims the National Assembly clandestinely inserted 11,122 projects worth N6.93 trillion into the budget, a move it says reflects growing political interference and financial recklessness.

The allegation surfaced through a post on X (formerly Twitter), where BudgIT shared its findings after thoroughly reviewing the 2025 federal budget. The National Assembly had approved a total expenditure of N54.99 trillion for the year, an increase from the initial N49.7 trillion proposal by President Bola Tinubu. The president later sought and received an expansion to N54.2 trillion, but BudgIT argues that what followed was an influx of unjustified and opaque insertions.

Gabriel Okeowo, BudgIT’s country director, did not mince words in his criticism. He described the legislative additions as “an assault on fiscal responsibility,” warning that such practices undermine the essence of budgeting, distort development priorities, and funnel public funds into the control of political elites.

The analysis, released Tuesday, reveals a worrying pattern of bloated and poorly justified projects. BudgIT identified 238 individual projects, each exceeding N5 billion, collectively amounting to N2.29 trillion. A further 984 projects were found to be worth N1.71 trillion. The organisation highlighted 1,119 other projects, each costing between N500 million and N1 billion, as largely politically motivated.

Some of the most eye-catching figures include N393.29 billion for 1,477 streetlight projects, N505.79 billion for 2,122 ICT-related projects, and N114.53 billion allocated to 538 borehole schemes. The report also questions a N6.74 billion provision earmarked for the “empowerment of traditional rulers,” raising eyebrows about the relevance and transparency of such expenditure.

BudgIT’s breakdown showed that nearly 40 percent of all insertions were funneled through the Ministry of Agriculture. The ministry’s capital allocation ballooned from N242.5 billion to an astonishing N1.95 trillion, a surge attributed solely to these new entries. Other ministries such as Budget and Economic Planning, as well as Science and Technology, also saw substantial inflation in their budgets due to similar insertions.

Federal constituencies and senatorial districts featured prominently among the beneficiaries. A total of 3,573 projects worth N653.19 billion were linked to constituencies, while 1,972 projects valued at N444.04 billion were assigned to senatorial zones.

BudgIT has called on President Tinubu to take decisive action by overhauling the national budgeting framework. It urged him to realign the budget with Nigeria’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025), emphasizing the need for executive leadership in restoring integrity to the appropriation process.

Additionally, the organisation has appealed to the Attorney General of the Federation to pursue a legal clarification of the National Assembly’s constitutional role in budget-making. Specifically, it wants a review of lawmakers’ authority to introduce capital projects independently, without prior executive approval.

BudgIT’s revelations have reignited debate on Nigeria’s budgetary process and the growing tendency of legislative overreach. As public scrutiny intensifies, the burden now lies on the government to ensure greater transparency, accountability, and adherence to national development goals.