Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Ibrahim Ramalan
Published on 2024-03-14 16:10:52
The alleged padding of this year’s budget by the 10th National Assembly, NASS, is a matter that continues to raise eyebrows. At the center of the controversy is the suspended Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), who accused his fellow lawmakers of fraudulently inflating the 2024 budget. According to reports from Economic Confidential, Senator Godswill Akpabio-led NASS approved a total of N8,447,887,443,379 for capital projects across 20 federal ministries in this year’s Appropriation Act.
The ministries involved in this budget allocation include Youths, Sports, Defence, Foreign Affairs, Special Duties, Budget and Economic Planning, Tourism, Justice, Petroleum Resources, Arts and Culture, Women’s Affairs, Education, Police Affairs, Communication and Digital Economy, Agriculture, Water Resources, Environment, Health, Solid Minerals, and Works.
Surprisingly, a significant portion of the allocated budget, amounting to approximately 71.98% of the total ‘Development Capital Allocation’, was assigned to initiatives that lack traceability or are burdened by accountability constraints. Additionally, some projects listed do not align with the statutory mandates of the ministries or agencies, and are located outside their operational jurisdictions.
A document titled “Final Summary Analysis of the Harmonized 2024 Budget (Passed)” by Microxpressions Consult sheds light on the key items and figures in the budget, especially concerning allocations to specific ministries and agencies. Analysis of the document revealed that a considerable sum of N2,486,098,619,722 was aggregated into regional projects, posing challenges in monitoring fund deployment and utilization efficiency. Furthermore, N4,185,711,477,842 was earmarked for projects without specific geographic identifiers, complicating accountability processes.
The budget allocations across the six geopolitical zones for capital projects in the 20 ministries were as follows: South West (N419,917,163,300), South East (N537,086,249,684), South-South (N224,969,978,366), North West (N365,387,892,588), North East (N349,434,063,602), and North Central (N730,029,622,125).
Specifically, allocations for various capital projects in different ministries across the geopolitical zones revealed discrepancies in project details. For example, the Federal Ministry of Youths had N5,096,411,496 budgeted, with N2,868,851,764 lacking project location specifics. Similarly, varying discrepancies were noted in allocations for the Federal Ministries of Sports, Defence, Special Duties, Budget and Economic Planning, Tourism, Petroleum Resources, Women Affairs, Justice, Police Affairs, Agriculture, Environment, Solid Minerals, Communication and Digital Economy, Water Resources, Health, and Works.
Microxpressions Consult emphasized the importance of ministries providing explicit declarations regarding project locations and scopes for financial transparency and accountability. It stressed the need for a stringent, location-specific allocation protocol to ensure that budget provisions lead to tangible developmental advancements.
As the controversy surrounding the alleged budget padding lingers, transparency and accountability in budget allocations remain crucial for effective governance and sustainable development in Nigeria.
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