{"id":6899,"date":"2025-01-10T15:22:08","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/?p=6899"},"modified":"2025-01-10T15:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:22:08","slug":"budgit-urges-national-assembly-to-address-irregularities-in-2025-proposed-budget-for-national-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/10\/budgit-urges-national-assembly-to-address-irregularities-in-2025-proposed-budget-for-national-development\/","title":{"rendered":"BudgIT Urges National Assembly to Address Irregularities in 2025 Proposed Budget for National Development"},"content":{"rendered":"

BudgIT, a civic tech organization focused on promoting transparency in government spending, has called on the National Assembly to proactively address irregularities identified in the 2025 proposed national budget. The organization emphasized that the approved budget must reflect the needs and priorities of Nigerians, particularly in the areas of job creation<\/strong>, poverty reduction<\/strong>, and inclusive economic growth<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In a public statement released on Thursday and signed by Communications Associate, Ms. Nancy Odimegwu, BudgIT outlined several concerns regarding the budget\u2019s current structure. Among the key issues raised was the lack of budgetary provision<\/strong> for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, a major infrastructure project that was conspicuously absent from the proposed budget. The organization also highlighted the omission of budget breakdowns for some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as for more than 60 government-owned enterprises (GOEs)<\/strong>, including critical entities like the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA)<\/strong>, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)<\/strong>, and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Budgetary Gaps and Concerns: Transparency Issues<\/h3>\n

BudgIT pointed out that the breakdown of certain MDAs and commissions was missing from the public budget presentation. For example, the National Judicial Council<\/strong> (N341.63 billion) and TETFUND<\/strong> (N940.5 billion) did not have their details outlined in the 2025 proposed budget. Additionally, the budget for over 60 GOEs, which play pivotal roles in the country\u2019s economic activities, was also not included.<\/p>\n

The organization also flagged the lumping of regional development commission budgets<\/strong> under personnel costs, which amounted to N2.49 trillion<\/strong>. This allocation, covering commissions like the Niger Delta Development Commission<\/strong> (N776.53 billion) and South East Development Commission<\/strong> (N341.27 billion), raised concerns about transparency and accountability<\/strong>. BudgIT argued that this approach obstructs proper scrutiny of how these funds are being utilized and whether they are achieving their intended development objectives.<\/p>\n

Missing Infrastructure Funding and Budget Deficit Concerns<\/h3>\n

BudgIT also raised concerns over the absence of funding for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road<\/strong>, a significant infrastructure initiative in the proposed 2025 budget. The organization warned that, if funding for the project were later introduced, it could lead to a reallocation of funds<\/strong> from other critical projects, thereby impacting the implementation of the budget and questioning its credibility.<\/p>\n

The group further criticized President Bola Tinubu\u2019s recent comments on the retirement packages for military generals<\/strong>, suggesting a contradiction with his earlier stance on reducing the cost of governance<\/strong>. BudgIT argued that these costly provisions could inflate the budget<\/strong> and increase the fiscal deficit. Moreover, such allowances could demoralize lower-ranking military personnel, who often lack sufficient benefits despite their exposure to risks in combat.<\/p>\n

National Assembly\u2019s Role in Budget Oversight and Fiscal Responsibility<\/h3>\n

In its statement, BudgIT urged the National Assembly to resist the temptation to increase the oil price benchmark<\/strong> to create fiscal space for budget insertions, a practice the organization has criticized in previous years. BudgIT recalled instances where the legislature added thousands of capital projects<\/strong> during the budget review process, many of which were not aligned with the federal government\u2019s priorities or had no capacity for implementation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In 2021, 5,601 capital projects<\/strong> were inserted into the budget; this number grew to 6,462 projects<\/strong> in 2022 and 7,447 projects<\/strong> in 2024, amounting to a staggering N2.24 trillion<\/strong> in insertions. BudgIT argued that these unplanned projects, which often lacked proper design, cost estimation, and conceptualization<\/strong>, undermined the effectiveness of the budget and hindered the country\u2019s long-term development goals.<\/p>\n

A Call for Responsibility and National Interest<\/h3>\n

While BudgIT acknowledged the constitutional power of the National Assembly to appropriate funds, it stressed that the legislature must exercise this power responsibly, ensuring that the budget aligns with national development priorities. The organization urged 409 members of the National Assembly<\/strong> to prioritize the national interest<\/strong> over personal or parochial considerations and to work together to ensure that the 2025 budget stimulates economic activities<\/strong>, promotes macroeconomic stability<\/strong>, and improves the welfare of Nigerians<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

BudgIT concluded by emphasizing the importance of an inclusive, transparent, and accountable budget, one that will genuinely contribute to economic growth<\/strong> and poverty alleviation<\/strong> in Nigeria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BudgIT, a civic tech organization focused on promoting transparency in government spending, has called on the National Assembly to proactively address irregularities identified in the 2025 proposed national budget. The organization emphasized that the approved budget must reflect the needs and priorities of Nigerians, particularly in the areas of job creation, poverty reduction, and inclusive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"BudgIT urges the National Assembly to address irregularities in Nigeria\u2019s 2025 budget, focusing on transparency and national development priorities.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6899"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6899"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6904,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6899\/revisions\/6904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}