Tinubu government budgets ₦22.15bn to build, renovate 106 traditional rulers’ palaces nationwide, sparking debate

• ₦22.15bn allocated in the 2026 budget for 106 palace projects. 

• Projects cover construction, renovation and furnishing of traditional rulers’ palaces. 

• Tracka raised concerns over transparency, including 11 projects without identified locations. 

• Atiku criticised the allocation, questioning the constitutional basis and demanding more details.

The Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu has allocated ₦22.15 billion in the 2026 budget for the construction, renovation and furnishing of 106 traditional rulers’ palaces across Nigeria, according to a review of the budget document by civic accountability platform Tracka. 

The allocation has sparked public debate after details from the budget review showed that the projects were assigned to various federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including some institutions whose core mandates are unrelated to traditional institutions. 

According to the review, the palace projects include construction, renovation, furnishing and installation of facilities such as solar power systems and palace halls. Tracka said the projects are spread across different parts of the country and involve about 45 MDAs. 

The accountability group raised concerns over transparency, noting that 11 of the palace projects, valued at about ₦5.85 billion, reportedly have no identified locations in the budget document, making it difficult for citizens to track their implementation. 

Some of the agencies listed as implementing the projects include the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, the Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO) and other government institutions. 

The development has drawn criticism from former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, who questioned the legality and justification of using federal funds for palace projects.

In a statement by his aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that traditional institutions fall largely under state government authority and accused the Federal Government of failing to provide details of the beneficiaries, locations and procurement process for the projects. 

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He called on the Presidency, the Budget Office and relevant agencies to publish the full list of the 106 palaces, the amounts allocated to each project, their locations and the contractors handling them. 

However, the reports reviewed did not include an official statement from the Federal Government explaining the rationale behind the allocations or why specific MDAs were chosen to execute the projects.

The controversy comes amid wider debates over government spending priorities, with critics questioning whether federal resources should be directed towards community-based projects such as palace renovations while other sectors face funding challenges.