A detailed review of Nigeria’s 2026 Appropriation Act has revealed that at least 16 federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) collectively allocated more than N205.96 billion to projects that fall outside their statutory responsibilities. The finding, based on an analysis by Weekend Trust, has reignited debate over the long-standing practice of using government agencies as conduits for constituency projects—often roads, solar electrification, schools, and hospitals—that bear little relation to their core functions.
The affected agencies span a wide range of sectors, from agricultural research institutes and space exploration bodies to peace and conflict resolution centres and hospitality training boards. In several cases, the off-mandate allocations consumed a majority of an agency’s total budget, raising questions about the integrity of the budgeting process and the efficient use of public funds.
Which Agencies Were Affected and by How Much?
The analysis identified 16 MDAs that collectively set aside N205,957,972,172 for projects outside their mandates. Among the most striking examples is the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), which allocated N17.78 billion of its N19.34 billion budget—91.98%—to projects such as solar streetlights, motorcycle and fertiliser distribution, and classroom construction. The Nigeria Press Council (NPC) similarly dedicated N10.40 billion of its N11.89 billion allocation (87.47%) to roads, electricity, school renovation, and distribution of motorcycles and fertiliser.
The National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, budgeted N59.12 billion for roads, bridges, solar projects, and health infrastructure out of its total N71.03 billion—representing 83.24% of its budget. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) proposed N12.74 billion in off-mandate projects, or 71.9% of its N17.71 billion allocation, covering classroom construction, hospitals, roads, markets, motorcycles, and solar electrification.
Other agencies with significant off-mandate spending include:
- Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA): N32.10 billion (47.71% of N67.29 billion) for roads, dams, schools, police stations, solar projects, and constituency generators.
- Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP): N14.24 billion (31.67% of N44.95 billion) for constituency roads and electrification.
- Centre for Management Development (CMD): N12.56 billion (27.35% of N45.92 billion) for solar electrification, roads, bridges, and stadium renovation.
- National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE): About N8.4 billion (nearly 29% of N29.4 billion) for road construction in Ogun, Katsina, and Ekiti states, despite its mandate focusing on reducing illiteracy and integrating Almajiri and out-of-school children into formal education.
- National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR): N8.64 billion for roads and solar electrification from its N18.01 billion allocation.
- National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA): N7.75 billion (10.91% of N71.04 billion) for solar projects, mini-grids, sewing machines, block-making machines, farm machinery, and health facilities.
- National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI): N2.39 billion (9.23% of N25.90 billion) for roads, solar projects, and training for Islamic scholars.
- National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA): N6.27 billion (8.54% of N73.31 billion) for roads, drainage channels, motorcycles, vehicles, and solar projects.
- Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin-Kowa, Gombe: N26.24 billion (at least 6% of N439.38 billion) for roads and electricity projects.
- National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS): N1.81 billion (5.33% of N33.88 billion) for roads, motorcycles, and solar projects.
- Federal Ministry of Communications: N798.6 million (1.70% of N47.06 billion) for solar, water, and school rehabilitation projects.
- Ministry of Defence: N1.9 billion (0.06% of N3.16 trillion) for solar projects, roads, culverts, and pumping machines for farmers.
How Lawmakers and Agencies Defend the Practice
Officials from several affected agencies have defended the inclusion of these projects, describing them as constituency projects assigned by the National Assembly. In a statement, the NCAOOSCE clarified that the commission did not initiate the off-mandate budget items but was tasked with implementing them as part of a long-standing budgetary practice. The statement, issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the NCAOOSCE Executive Secretary, Mr. Nura Muhammad, noted that the projects were incorporated into the 2026 Appropriation Act in line with the practice of assigning constituency projects to MDAs for execution.
A senior management official of NASRDA, who spoke on condition of anonymity, echoed this view, stating that the projects are “continuity projects of senators and members of the National Assembly” and should not be interpreted as a departure from the agency’s statutory responsibilities. “It doesn’t mean that we don’t have our own mandate or that we won’t carry out our own mandate,” the official said. “The projects are meant to benefit the people, and they have to be implemented through a government agency.”
A source from the Senate Appropriations Committee, who also requested anonymity, confirmed that the practice is not unusual. According to the source, lawmakers often approach federal agencies of their choice to execute constituency projects. Once an agreement is sealed, the project is inserted into the agency’s budget, and the agency executes it regardless of its mandate. A former senator, speaking in confidence, added that all members of the National Assembly have insertions in off-mandate agencies, with the size and influence of a lawmaker determining how many agencies accommodate their projects.
Former House of Representatives minority leader Dr. Wunmi Bewaji argued that the practice is not unique to Nigeria, comparing it to “special earmarks” in the U.S. Congress. “If the project is executed, it should not matter what agency is handling it,” Bewaji said. “Our concern should be whether the project has been executed.”
Civil Society and Experts Call the Practice an Anomaly
Civil society organisations and economic experts have strongly criticised the trend, describing it as a symptom of systemic corruption and a threat to public financial management. The International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights (ISSJHR) called on the federal government to provide immediate explanations for what it termed “budget padding” and off-budget projects. Its Chancellor, Chief Dr. Omenazu Jackson, argued that persistent reports of off-mandate projects undermine constitutional governance and erode public confidence. The group cited sections 80 to 84 of the 1999 Constitution and the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, as requiring transparency and accountability in public expenditure.
Friday Odeh, Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, said the trend reflects deeper structural problems in Nigeria’s budgeting process. “A major part of the problem is that projects are being inserted into the budget without coming from the mandates or plans of the implementing MDAs,” Odeh said. He recommended that every capital project should originate from the responsible MDA and align with its statutory mandate, and that lawmakers who propose off-mandate projects should be publicly disclosed.
Professor of Economics Ndubisi Nwokoma described the practice as “an element of corruption” and an anomaly that must be corrected. “If something is not within your mandate, why are you doing it? It means somebody is benefitting from it or there is an error somewhere,” Nwokoma said. Another economist, Dr. Marcel Okeke, called it “pervasive corruption” that makes “nonsense of the entire budgetary process.”
Dr. Umar Yakubu of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity warned that off-mandate projects create systemic failure in public financial management. “When you are doing your budgetary allocations and include off-mandate projects, anyhow, it will create a systemic failure,” Yakubu said. “Nothing will even work, even if you are doing 50 per cent, the other 50 per cent is likely to fail.”
A Former Minister’s Account of Budget Defence
Former Minister of Youth and Sports Solomon Dalung, who served under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, shared a personal account of his experience during a budget defence session at the National Assembly. In a Facebook post, Dalung alleged that lawmakers asked him to raise N200 million during his first budget defence. When he replied that no such budget line existed, he was told, “Okay, Mr. Minister, you are excused. We will take it up with the Permanent Secretary.” Dalung said his role in budget defence became largely ceremonial thereafter, as he was excluded from detailed sessions after refusing to participate in what he described as an illegal arrangement.
“This experience opened my eyes to how corruption can become institutionalised,” Dalung wrote. “When oversight is transformed into an avenue for extortion, accountability is compromised, public resources are diverted, and the integrity of governance is eroded.”
What Happens Next?
The ISSJHR has demanded an independent forensic audit of federal appropriations over the last five years, the establishment of a publicly accessible digital budget portal, stronger oversight by the Auditor-General and anti-corruption agencies, and criminal prosecution of officials found to have manipulated the budget. The group also called for legislative amendments prescribing stiffer penalties for budget manipulation and quarterly publication of budget implementation reports.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, recently warned agencies under his ministry against executing projects outside their statutory responsibilities, directing that all programmes align with presidential priorities on food security, economic growth, and poverty eradication. Whether such warnings will translate into meaningful reform remains to be seen, as the practice of channelling constituency projects through off-mandate agencies appears deeply entrenched.
UPDATE NEWS:
Efforts to reach the Presidency for comment were unsuccessful. Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, and Dr. Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communications, did not respond to calls or messages. Malam Garba Shehu, a former spokesman to President Buhari, suggested that agency heads have the right to resist such insertions, noting that “some heads of agencies pushed back” in the past.
As Nigeria’s budget for 2026—signed into law at N68.32 trillion, about N600 billion higher than the amount submitted to the National Assembly—moves toward implementation, the debate over off-mandate spending is unlikely to fade. For many observers, the core question remains whether public funds are being allocated to legitimate, well-planned projects that respond to national priorities rather than political interests.
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