In a development that is raising eyebrows among financial analysts and economic observers, the National Assembly’s insertions into the 2025 Appropriation Act have added a staggering ₦6.93 trillion in projects to the federal budget, swelling it to ₦54.99 trillion — the largest in Nigeria’s history.
Originally proposed at ₦49.74 trillion by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in December 2024, the budget underwent significant revisions. The executive later revised it to ₦54.2 trillion before it was passed into law on February 28, 2025. However, a closer look at the final version reveals that the National Assembly padded the budget further by nearly ₦800 billion, including thousands of capital projects inserted at its discretion.
A detailed review of the insertions shows that 11,122 projects were added by lawmakers, with many critics arguing they are tailored to narrow political interests rather than national priorities. Capital expenditure rose from a proposed ₦14.85 trillion to ₦23.96 trillion, with insertions alone accounting for over ₦6.9 trillion.
“This kind of legislative discretion over capital allocation distorts the national planning process and weakens the linkage between the budget and the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework,” said Dr. Idayat Hassan, a public finance expert and governance analyst. “It undermines fiscal discipline.”
One of the most noticeable shifts occurred in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, whose capital allocation ballooned from ₦242.5 billion to a jaw-dropping ₦1.95 trillion, owing to 4,371 projects inserted into its portfolio. Similarly, the Ministry of Science and Technology saw the addition of 1,777 projects worth ₦994.98 billion.
An alarming trend, analysts say, is the fragmentation of capital spending. Over 3,573 projects worth ₦653.19 billion were directed at federal constituencies, and 1,972 projects worth ₦444.04 billion at senatorial districts. These include 1,477 street lighting projects (₦393.29 billion), 538 boreholes (₦114.53 billion), and over 2,000 ICT initiatives (₦505.79 billion)—many deemed low-impact or repetitive.
Critics argue that these projects often bypass the technical capacity of implementing agencies. Institutions such as the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Lagos, and Federal Co-operative College, Oji River, among others, received project allocations far beyond their scope, with some tasked with road construction and ICT deployment.
Several inserted items also raise questions of legitimacy and fiscal responsibility. For instance, ₦700 million was allocated to an ICT/CBT centre in Kaduna South, while ₦500 million was set aside for fertilizer supply in Borno South—both embedded in budgets of agencies with little or no capacity for such interventions.
“The risk here is not just about budget efficiency,” warned Dr. Hassan. “It’s about undermining the credibility of the public financial management system.”
With a debt service allocation of ₦14.31 trillion—₦2 trillion lower than the initial executive proposal—the budget faces a credibility test. The mounting insertions and their implications for accountability could affect donor confidence and investor sentiment in Nigeria’s fiscal stability.
As the 2025 fiscal year unfolds, all eyes will be on the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office to ensure that inserted projects are tracked, verified, and assessed—not only for execution but for public value.
