By Ahmed Yusuf
National News
More than 70 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government have earmarked close to N400 billion in the 2026 budget for the construction and rehabilitation of mosques, traditional rulers’ palaces, community halls, village market squares and other civic projects, raising concerns among economic experts over spending priorities.
A review of the budget shows that about 78 federal agencies made provisions for the projects, with over half of the allocations reportedly directed toward non-developmental initiatives, including the supply of grains, motorcycles and tricycles, sponsorship of community thrift societies, construction of museums and mini-stadia, among others.
The affected agencies include the Ministry of Defence Headquarters, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Defence Academy, the Technical Aid Corps, the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the National Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), the National Productivity Centre, the Industrial Training Fund and several research institutions.
Policy analysts have questioned the relevance of many of the projects, arguing that they fall outside the statutory responsibilities of the agencies involved. They warned that allocating huge sums to fragmented community projects could deprive critical sectors such as healthcare, education, security, power and road infrastructure of much-needed funding.
One of the agencies highlighted is the National Building and Road Research Institute, whose budget reportedly includes projects such as the construction of village halls in Anambra, an international market in Jigawa, traditional rulers’ palaces in Rivers and Kogi states, market stalls in Borno, multipurpose halls in Kaduna, and the renovation of mosques in Kebbi, Ekiti and Jigawa states. The combined value of these projects exceeds N4 billion.
Similarly, the National Productivity Centre is expected to fund projects including support for Ijaw musicians, the construction of an Emir’s palace in Yobe State, refurbishment of Obas’ palaces in Ogun State, an abattoir in Gombe State and an econometrics laboratory in Ekiti State. The National Mathematical Centre was also listed as financing the construction of a Sociology Department building at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, a project many observers say is outside its core mandate.
Economic consultant and former central banker, Chukwunonso Ihuma, blamed the situation on weak legislative oversight, alleging that lawmakers frequently insert projects into the budget during the appropriation process.
According to him, many of the projects should ordinarily be executed by state and local governments or community organisations rather than federal agencies. He advocated a return to zero-based budgeting, where every expenditure must be justified from scratch, and suggested that the Budget Office should have greater authority to reject irrelevant budget items.
President Bola Tinubu signed the N68.32 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill into law in April. The government is, however, still implementing parts of the 2025 budget after lawmakers extended the capital expenditure deadline to September 30, 2026, to allow ongoing projects to be completed.
The Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) has warned that the successful implementation of the 2025 and 2026 budgets depends on improved revenue mobilisation, effective fiscal coordination and structural reforms to address inflation, exchange rate volatility and governance challenges.
Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr. Muda Yusuf, noted that the discontinuation of the Central Bank’s Ways and Means financing has increased pressure on government revenues, making budget implementation more difficult.
The 2026 budget projects N36.87 trillion in revenue against total expenditure of N68.32 trillion, leaving a substantial deficit to be financed through borrowing. It also assumes an oil price benchmark of 75 dollars per barrel, daily crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels, GDP growth of between 4.28 and 4.68 per cent, and debt servicing costs of N15.81 trillion.
Media strategist and former presidential adviser, Umar Sani, said legislators often complain when budget provisions they inserted are not implemented by the executive, adding that previous presidents had rejected appropriation bills containing what they considered unnecessary projects.
