Controversy Trails National Assembly’s Insertions In 2025 Budget Amid Calls For Transparency And Accountability

Controversy Trails National Assembly’s Insertions in 2025 Budget Amid Calls for Transparency and Accountability

By Hussaini Ibrahim Sulaiman

Abuja, Nigeria — Concerns are mounting over the growing trend of budget insertions by the National Assembly following the approval of Nigeria’s N54.99 trillion 2025 Appropriation Act. Policy analysts, civic groups, and transparency advocates have decried the manner in which legislators injected billions of naira into the budget, raising fears of poor implementation, corruption, and weakened fiscal discipline.

The 2025 budget, originally presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on December 18, 2024, stood at N49.74 trillion—an 80.96% rise from the previous year’s N27.5 trillion. The National Assembly first adjusted this to N54.2 trillion before finalizing it at N54.99 trillion, resulting in a cumulative addition of N5.29 trillion. A substantial portion of this increase came from insertions and upward adjustments to capital projects and non-debt recurrent expenditure.

The recurrent non-debt component of the budget was increased by N299.75 billion, bringing it to N8.81 trillion. This category includes staff salaries, pensions, and operational costs. At the same time, debt servicing allocations were reduced by N2.01 trillion, from N16.32 trillion to N14.31 trillion. Meanwhile, capital expenditure was significantly raised from the executive’s initial proposal of N14.85 trillion to N23.96 trillion, indicating a remarkable N9.11 trillion increase. This sharp jump suggests the addition of thousands of new projects—many of which were inserted by lawmakers without adequate scrutiny or public justification.

An in-depth review of the budget indicates that certain Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) have become frequent targets for budgetary insertions. For instance, the Federal Co-operative College in Oji River alone had 1,142 projects worth over N320 billion inserted into its allocation. Similarly, the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute in Lagos saw 656 insertions totaling N405.9 billion. Other affected institutions include the Federal College of Horticulture in Gombe, the Border Communities Development Agency, the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation in Ilorin, and the National Productivity Centre, among others.

Critics argue that many of these agencies lack the technical capacity or operational footprint to execute such high volumes of projects, leading to widespread inefficiency and substandard project delivery. In several cases, the projects are either poorly executed or never implemented, fueling public mistrust in the budgeting process.

Among the inserted projects are multi-billion-naira road constructions in select senatorial districts, such as the Olengbecho-Ojapo-Ogege Road in Benue South (N2.5 billion), Bianin-Yauri-Zuru Road in Kebbi South, and the Odi-Olu Road—each attracting between N1.5 billion to N2 billion in allocations. These projects, while necessary in some communities, raise questions about equitable distribution and planning, particularly as their locations align closely with the constituencies of powerful lawmakers.

Budget tracking organizations like BudgIT have called attention to the limited accountability mechanisms surrounding these insertions. Despite constitutional provisions and the mandates of anti-corruption agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), enforcement remains weak. Few public officials are held accountable for budgetary corruption, creating a culture of impunity and fostering wasteful spending.

BudgIT further emphasized the need for greater citizen involvement in the budgeting process. Drawing on successful models from some state governments, the organization recommends that citizens and civil society groups be incorporated during the budget approval stage. By participating in public budget hearings and scrutinizing line items in the Appropriation Bill, citizens could help prevent unnecessary or questionable insertions.

“The Senate and House of Representatives already have committees for Civil Society Organizations and domestic NGOs,” BudgIT noted. “These committees, led by Senator Victor Umeh and Rep. Victor Obuzor, should convene quarterly reviews of budget implementation. Through hybrid sessions, CSOs can offer their expertise in monitoring and ensure transparency—at minimal cost.”

The budget breakdown also highlights significant allocations to government-owned enterprises and statutory bodies. These include N626.53 billion for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), N521.62 billion for the National Judicial Council (NJC), and N145.60 billion for the South East Development Commission. The budget also featured N3.36 trillion for multilateral and bilateral loan-funded projects, and N6.36 trillion in capital supplementation.

Despite these figures, concerns remain that the real beneficiaries of the inflated budget are not the Nigerian people but a few politically connected individuals and institutions. Observers argue that unless accountability structures are strengthened and the budget process becomes more transparent, Nigeria’s fiscal policy will continue to serve narrow interests at the expense of national development.

With mounting public scrutiny and pressure from watchdog organizations, all eyes are now on the National Assembly and the Presidency to demonstrate a commitment to responsible governance, fiscal transparency, and citizen participation in the budget process.