BudglT highlights corruption loopholes in the
budget process, calls for urgent budget reforms.

BudglT, a civic-tech non-profit organisation leading the advocacy for transparency and accountability in public finance in Nigeria, has called on the government to audit security spending and close loopholes for Corruption in the budget process.

While speaking on BudglT's recent publication, "Demanding Budget Reforms for Resource Optimization", Gabriel Okeowo, BudglT's CEO, said, "2021 has been a horrifying year for Nigerians concerning security as the country combats mutating forms of crime and terror across all its 36 states; this is despite allocating over N10.02tn to security between 2015 and 2021. In the 2021 budget, the entire security sector's allocation was N1.97tn, representing a 14% increase from the N1.78tn allocated in 2020."

Increased resources allocated to the security sector means that less money is available to develop other sectors; thus, there is a need for more scrutiny of how these allocations are budgeted and spent. Likewise, BudglT's publication noted that various non-security related government agencies now request and receive allocations for "Security Votes", an opaque feature of the Nigerian security ecosystem devoid of accountability. In the 2021 budget, a total of 117 federal agencies received allocations for "Security Votes" worth N24.3bn, despite many of these agencies already having
allocations for "Security Charges" to cover each agency's security needs.

Furthermore, BudglT observed that the little budgetary allocation provided to other sectors are plagued with various loopholes for leakages and theft of public funds.

"Our investigations into the 2021 budget revealed at least 316 duplicated capital projects woth N39.5bn, with 115 of those duplicate projects occurring in the Ministry of Health. This is very di'sturbing especially considering the health
infrastructure deficit and the raging COVID-19 pandemic affecting Nigeria."

"Even worse, agencies now receive allocations for capital projects they cannot execute. For example, the National Agriculture Seed Council has an allocation for N400m to construct solar street lights across all six geopolitical zones, while the Federal College of Forestry in lbadan in Oyo State got N50m for the construction of street lights in Edo State."
These are aberrations that need to be corrected.

Mr Okeowo enjoined the Federal Government to urgently block all loopholes in the budget creation and implementation process, some of which are highlighted in the recently released publication.

"Nigeria is already haunted by a staggering N3.31tn debt servicing burden which will wipe out nearly 41.63% of the projected N7.99tn 2021 revenue.

The Federal Government can maximise the little public funds left by blocking the leakages BudglT has identified." Okeowo added. Nigeria's budget can be an excellent tool to accelerate economic recovery, but if the budget is left with the current loopholes, it can cover corruption and grand theft.

The Nigerian government already plans to borrow N4.69tn
to meet its expenditure needs in 2021; thus, it cannot afford to allow these borrowed funds to be stolen by a few corrupt elite through loopholes in the budget. Virement provided in the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007, or the opportunity for Corrigenda recently provided in Section 16 of the 2021 Appropriation Act Implementation Guidelines published by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning in March 2021 are handy starting tools the government can immediately use in plugging loopholes.

Signed
lyanu Fatoba
Communications Associate

#AskQuestions

BudgIT Nigeria


lalasticlala mynd44

Nigeria my country .
My here now ... I no feel anything as FTC.
Make mr seun credit me ooo. It's the second time for me here.

These guys are just heartless. And they keep shouting no funds no funds, yet they keep inflating and duplicating already inflated budgets.

Worst is the funds for the budget will be borrowed. Why are we like this in country.

Oga ooo

The corruption in Nigeria is no longer a news, rather its official in Nigeria, from embezzling of funds,budget padding, it goes on and on, roads in Nigeria is the most expensive but the worst in quality. This country need to start afresh to eridicate this shame, its no longer acceptable.

No review turnaround cycle to ensure documentations are reviewed and assured rightly. Just anywhere Belle face country..

PDP's corruption fighting back.

It shall never be well with PDP for duplicating contracts worth billions of naira in 2021

Thank you my able incorruptible Buhari for fighting corruption..

We pray for Tinubu to continue where you stopped



Shey una still dey wait for 2023 for another round of voting bah.



Las las, everybody go dey alright.

I hail my fatherland.. Yet the administration claims it is fighting corruption and some mugus dey believe them

This is the reason they will always threaten anyone that try to oppose the status quo.

It's the deep rooted corruption that fuels the fraud called Nigeria for which they are ready to kill as many people as possible to keep the scam called Nigeria together.

This conversation nobody wants to have will only make armed agitation the only way out. Nigeria cannot continue on this path.

T

Imagine d nonsense

Corrupt people

They have been doing this.. �

A toxic person never changes. They change victims and blame everything on everybody else. They can't see the wrong in their actions, but always find them in Yours. Learn to distance Yourself from people who drain the energy out of you, even if they are family‼


*#TruthTuesday#*

Wahala no Dey finish for this _corny-tree_

Buhari Mr Integrity my foot

APC scam

Dem wan give am to bandits make dem cause mayhem

Let's hear from what he thinks of his darling daddy lately.

Yeah, and someone had the gall to ask me why I don't support APC or PDP

This is why.

The corruption continues

The amount of money embezzled under this administration within the last 6years is enough to make this country a better place

This people should shut their mouth with their anti-corruption nonsense crusade because they are more corrupt than corruption itself

BudgIT sabi analyse sha! Kudos.

I just smh

The hunters are much, ready and watching sternly with their axes ready to hack, cut, decimate and bring down a tree, but it's just a stump which just sprouted a leaf, they were so disappointed.

Nigeria is bleeding in all areas.

We don't expect less from this kwurupt ridden govt.