Toba Owojaiye reporting
Abuja, Nigeria
In a startling revelation, a recent report has allegedly exposed the approval of a staggering N6.6 trillion in ‘unknown projects’ or “unknown locations “ by the 10th National Assembly (NASS) in Nigeria.
Truth Live News gathered that the report, conducted by Microxpressions Consult, meticulously dissected the breakdown of the 2024 budget passed by the legislative body, shedding light on opaque allocations and raising serious concerns about transparency and accountability.
The saga began with suspended Senator Abdul Ningi of Bauchi Central sounding the alarm on potential padding within the Appropriation Act. Despite the lawmakers greenlighting a colossal N8.4 trillion for capital projects across 20 federal ministries, suspicions arose regarding the nature of these projects and their intended beneficiaries.
According to the document titled “Final Summary Analysis of the Harmonized 2024 Budget (Passed)” by Microxpressions Consult, a significant portion of the budget allocation, amounting to N2.5 trillion, was pooled into regional projects without specific geographic identifiers.
Additionally, a staggering N4.2 trillion was allotted to projects devoid of any traceable locations, complicating efforts for effective monitoring and oversight.
The report further divulged the distribution of funds across different regions, revealing allocations of N419.9 billion to the South-West, N537.1 billion to the South-East, N224.9 billion to the South-South, N365.4 billion to the North-West, N349.4 billion to the North-East, and N730 billion to the North-Central.
However, the most alarming revelation came from the analysis of individual ministries. The Ministry of Youths, for instance, received a total budget of N5.1 billion for projects across all zones, yet locations for projects worth N2.8 billion remained undisclosed. Similarly, the Ministry of Sports was earmarked N21.6 billion, with N7.5 billion worth of projects lacking specific names.
The Ministry of Defence was allocated a staggering N3.8 trillion, yet an overwhelming N3.3 trillion worth of projects lacked mention of their locations. The Ministry of Special Duties, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and others faced similar discrepancies in their project allocations.
The report highlighted the Ministry of Justice’s budget of N33.9 billion, with N25.7 billion worth of projects missing location details, and the Ministry of Police Affairs’ allocation of N99.4 billion, with N49.1 billion worth of undisclosed projects. The Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Solid Minerals, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy were all implicated in the lack of transparency regarding project locations.
Netizens emphasized the urgent need for ministries to provide clarifications regarding the intended locations and scope of projects to ensure transparency and accountability. They stressed the importance of implementing a stringent location-specific allocation protocol to ensure that budgetary provisions translate into tangible developmental advancements.
The report’s findings has sparked outrage among citizens and calls for immediate action from government authorities. Questions linger about the accountability of lawmakers and the efficacy of existing oversight mechanisms in preventing such financial opacity.
In response to the report, demands for thorough investigations and reforms within the National Assembly have intensified. Civil society organizations, activists, and concerned citizens are urging for greater transparency, accountability, and integrity in the budgetary process to prevent the misallocation of public funds and ensure equitable development across the nation.