In a recent revelation by BudgIT, the federal government has earmarked N732.5 billion for empowerment projects in the 2024 budget, a figure surpassing the N646.5 billion allocated to health projects.
This discovery was made through Tracka, BudgIT’s service delivery promotion platform, which enables citizens to track and provide feedback on public projects in their communities.
According to BudgIT, the disparity in allocations comes at a time when Nigeria grapples with severe health challenges.
Despite the country having the second-highest child mortality rate globally in 2023, the 2024 budget does not prioritize health emergencies adequately.
“The government has shown no signs of tackling these critical emergencies head-on, as the allocations in the 2024 budget do not reflect priority in the health sector,” the organization stated.
Tracka highlighted that empowerment projects are often vague and difficult to monitor, making them prone to misuse.
“They are also used as a funnel to transfer public resources to party loyalists, resulting in the misuse of public funds,” the platform noted.
The 2024 federal government budget includes 4,440 empowerment projects. Initially confined to constituency projects, these initiatives have increasingly been incorporated into capital projects through National Assembly insertions.
The National Assembly alone inserted 7,447 projects worth N2.24 trillion into the 2024 budget.
Tracka views this trend as problematic given Nigeria’s significant infrastructure gaps and budget deficits.
Further scrutiny revealed that over 2,558 projects worth N624 billion were allocated to agencies beyond their mandate.
For instance, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) was allocated N5 billion for the procurement and distribution of official vehicles to selected traditional rulers, an activity outside its core mandate.
Similarly, the Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NiOMR) received N2.32 billion to construct a 3.5km road, an assignment misaligned with its primary function.
BudgIT’s Country Director, Gabriel Okeowo, expressed deep concern over these allocations.
“The implications of assigning projects to agencies outside of their mandate are that it undermines monitoring, evaluation, and the sustainability of these projects.
These agencies lack the expertise and personnel to ensure quality service delivery for these projects, leading to under-delivery and a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money and scarce resources,” Okeowo stated.
Ayomide Ladipo, Head of Tracka, called for anti-graft agencies to investigate these budget anomalies to prevent the diversion, misappropriation, and embezzlement of public funds.
“We also call on elected representatives and Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to provide timely updates to the public and ensure the quality implementation of these projects so that Nigerians can derive maximum benefit from public funds,” Ladipo added.
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