Civic-tech group BudgIT has revealed that the National Assembly inserted 11,122 projects worth N6.93 trillion into the 2025 national budget, raising concerns over transparency and fiscal discipline.
In an 18-page report released Tuesday, the group said the insertions represent 12.5% of the N54.99 trillion budget signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on February 28, 2025.
The initial proposal submitted by Tinubu in December 2024 was N49.7 trillion. It was later revised to N54.2 trillion in February following increased revenue projections, but the National Assembly raised the figure further by N700 billion.
BudgIT’s analysis found that 238 inserted projects worth N2.29 trillion exceeded N5 billion each and lacked clear justification. Another 984 projects worth N1.71 trillion and 1,119 projects between N500 million and N1 billion, totalling N641.38 billion, were similarly flagged.
The report highlighted that 3,573 projects worth N653.19 billion were assigned to federal constituencies and 1,972 projects valued at N444.04 billion to senatorial districts.
Some of the questionable allocations include:
1,477 streetlight projects at N393.29 billion
538 boreholes worth N114.53 billion
2,122 ICT projects costing N505.79 billion
N6.74 billion for “empowerment of traditional rulers”
BudgIT said 39% of all insertions—4,371 projects worth N1.72 trillion—were channeled through the Ministry of Agriculture, inflating its capital budget from N242.5 billion to N1.95 trillion. Similar insertions pushed the Ministries of Science and Technology and Budget and Economic Planning to N994.98 billion and N1.1 trillion respectively.
It also accused lawmakers of assigning projects to MDAs outside their mandates, calling them “frivolous” and not aligned with national development goals. For instance, the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation in Ilorin was allocated funds for scholarships and health schemes in Bayelsa West.
BudgIT called on President Tinubu to initiate reforms and curb the National Assembly’s unchecked budget insertions, warning that without data-driven oversight and transparency, public spending risks being driven by political interests rather than national priorities.
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