Outrage as NASS inserts 11,000 dubious projects worth ₦6.93tn in 2025 budget

Civil society groups and Nigerians are expressing outrage after civic tech organisation BudgIT revealed that the National Assembly inserted over 11,000 questionable projects into the 2025 national budget, totalling N6.93 trillion.

In its analysis of the N54.9 trillion 2025 Appropriation Act, BudgIT described the insertions as “opacity-enabled anomalies” that reflect a pattern of fiscal recklessness and budget manipulation.

“These insertions, shrouded in ambiguity and lacking in alignment with national development priorities, represent a blatant misuse of public funds,” said Iyanuoluwa Bolarinwa, Acting Head of Open Governance at BudgIT.

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The group warned that many projects bypass standard needs assessments by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), and are often poorly defined, duplicated, or entirely fictional — so-called "ghost projects."

What’s more, BudgIT disclosed that some lawmakers allocated billions of naira to obscure federal agencies lacking the capacity to implement such large-scale interventions.

“The allocation of substantial funds to agencies without the requisite capacity raises serious concerns about the true intent of these insertions,” Bolarinwa said.

While lawmakers often frame these projects as constituency interventions, their combined value far exceeds capital allocations for critical sectors like education, health, and infrastructure.

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BudgIT also alleged that some legislators used their influence to intimidate MDAs during budget defence sessions, including pet projects.

“This trend not only distorts national priorities but erodes public trust in the budgeting process,” BudgIT warned, urging President Bola Tinubu to order a full investigation and initiate systemic reforms to curb what it termed “budget capture.”

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As public pressure mounts, advocacy groups and citizens are calling on anti-corruption agencies to probe the allegations.

The National Assembly has yet to respond.