The budget additions include N100 million for "empowerment for selected young ladies and girls in Nsukka, Enugu State" and N500 million each for "provision of empowerment materials to youths in some selected states in the north-east."

By Kabir Yusuf
Before transmitting the 2021 budget to President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly added several controversial projects, as well as increased and slashed the budget of some ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), a PREMIUM TIMES appraisal of the budget has shown.

The 2021 budget proposed by President Buhari to the lawmakers was N13.08 trillion. But upon passage, federal lawmakers used their legislative powers over the budget to up the bill to N13.6 trillion, an increment of over N500 billion.

By this increase, the legislators made the proposal larger than the actual estimates. They also inserted new, controversial projects to the budget, numbering over 1000.

PREMIUM TIMES’ review of the budget shows that the ministry of finance was the most favoured institution in the increments made across some ministries.

The sum of N5.4 trillion was initially proposed for the ministry by the president. However, upon assenting the new law, the ministry’s spending plan was put at N5.67 trillion – an increment of almost N300 billion.

About 97 per cent or (N296 billion) of the finance ministry’s increase went to Service Wide Vote (SWV). The SWV is a major component of the nation’s yearly budget where a lump sum of money is kept to tackle unforeseen expenditure both for recurrent and capital.

The National Assembly also increased the budget of the Centre for Management Development. Mr Buhari initially budgeted N2.3 billion for the centre but upon passage, its new capital expenditure was increased to N5.87 billion.

The increment, like those of other ministries and agencies, is billed to cater to a flurry of vague projects inserted by federal lawmakers, many of which are constituency projects of the lawmakers.

These include “training and empowerment for selected LGAs of Enugu North Senatorial Zone” and “empowerment for selected young ladies and girls in Nsukka, Enugu State,” – each for N100 million.

Also, N250 million was budgeted for an “entrepreneurship development programme for youths and women in Sabon Gari LGA, Kaduna state.”

The ministry of agriculture got the next highest raise, from N179 billion to N280 billion.

Of the total N100 billion increase for the agriculture ministry, Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute, Ilorin, got N15.8 billion; federal college of marine fisheries, Lagos, N12.3 billion; National Institute of oceanography and marine research, N8.16 billion; and National cereal research institute Badeggi, N3.73 billion.

These increments are slated for projects like the “supply of fertilizer and grains in Safana/Batsari/Dan Musa federal constituency in Katsina state” and the “provision of empowerment materials to youths in some selected states in the north-east” each for N500 million.

Likewise, “solar street lights across Nasarawa West Senatorial district” was priced at N200 million; and “provision of installation of 3-in-1 solar street lights in selected locations in Ikorodu 1 federal constituency, Lagos,” which would gulp N450 million.


N500 billion budget padding

Other increments
The lawmakers also raised the planned spending of the ministry of science and technology. Its new expenditure was put at N157 billion, up from N115 billion.

About 70 per cent (N29 billion) of the increase went to Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute Lagos (NBRRI).

The capital expenditure of the agency which was initially N20 billion is now N49 billion.

The N29 billion increment is for, among others, “construction of Ijebu-Igbo Heritage Centre in Ogun” and “rehabilitation and construction of Jauro- bose road in Gombe,” each of which will cost N200 million; as well as “construction of roads and drainages in Z/Kanwa and other locations,” which would gulp N800 million.

The “construction of internal roads within Ikorodu federal constituency” was billed for N500 million and “supply and installation of solar street lights in selected locations in Lagos,” will cost N667 million.

The sum of N446 billion was proposed for the ministry of humanitarian affairs. However, the ministry’s new spending plan was increased to N465 billion – about N20 billion increase.

The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGS (OSSAP-MDGS) domiciled under the humanitarian ministry got the highest percentage increase in the approved budget.

The initial budget of the office was N250 million, but it is now N4.4 billion. This increment is meant for the “supply of empowerment items to Katsina north senatorial district,” and “construction of solar powered boreholes in selected LGAs and supply of motorcycles in Katsina south senatorial district,” each at N500 million.

The office will “provide mini buses to selected communities across eight LGAs of Delta Central senatorial district,” for N1 billion.


Free money

In 2019, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) released a report detailing how federal lawmakers, in connivance with executing agencies, perfected fraudulent means of stealing public funds in the guise of constituency projects.

In the said report, ICPC categorised the above listed projects — capacity building and empowerment programmes as “soft” in nature aside from being “difficult to track.”

“These Capacity Building and Empowerment projects have become a convenient conduit for embezzling public funds by the sponsoring legislators and the executing agency as they are difficult to track and verify due to their “soft” nature,” ICPC said.

Anti-corruption advocate Olanrewaju Suraj believes ministers share the blame in budget padding by lawmakers. ‘

“It is ministers who are corrupt even in ordinary dealings that conspire with lawmakers to insert such projects,” he said.

He said the nation must find a way to end the corrupt practice of constituency projects of the lawmakers.

“The job of the parliament is policy formulation and lawmaking; therefore they shouldn’t be performing the function of the executive,” he said while calling on ICPC to review the budget and identify such inflation.

“These are red flags for law enforcement agencies and the president to work on as soon as possible.

“The parliament is so shameless that they can’t understand that under the current circumstances the country is in dire need of resources and prudent management of the resources,” he said.


Other agencies with a raise

Aside from the four ministries listed above, other ministries and agencies that benefited from the increase include Ministry of Education, N28 billion; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, N20 billion; Ministry of Defence, N4.6 billion; Ministry of Labour and Employment, N14 billion; Ministry of Trade and Industry, N12 billion; Ministry of Power, N8.4 billion; Ministry of Water Resources, N6.9 billion; Ministry of Information and Culture, N5.5 billion; National Assembly, N6 billion; Ministry of Special Duties, N3.8 billion and Public Complaints Commission, N3.49 billion.

Others are the Ministry of Health, N2.8 billion; Ministry of Women Affairs, N2.7 billion; National Security Adviser, M2.6 billion; Ministry of Mines and Steel, N2.4 billion; Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), N1 billion; Ministry of Petroleum Resources, N730 million; Police Service Commission, N500 million; Federal Character Commission, N450 million; Ministry of Justice, N269 million; Presidency, N230 million; and Code of Conduct Bureau, N200 million.

The Ministry of Police Affairs, N190 million; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, N184 million; Ministry of Youths and Sports, N169 million; Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, N135 million and Fiscal Responsibility and Commission, N52 million.


MDAs with highest allocation

Slashed budgets

Nonetheless, the National Assembly slashed the budget of some other ministries.

These ministries include Ministry of Transportation, N46 billion; Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), N8 billion; Ministry of Works and Housing, N4.9 billion; Ministry of Niger Delta, N2.2 billion; National Population Commission, N1 billion; Office of the Head of the Civil Service, N371 million; Auditor General of the Federation, N32 million; and National Salaries, Incomes and Wages, N16 million.

8 MDAs Lawmakers slash their budget

The Ministries of Aviation and Interior, Judiciary, Independent National Electoral Commission, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Allocation, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory, Federal Civil Service Commission and Code of Conduct Tribunal all had their budgets unaltered.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/439685-how-national-assembly-padded-2021-budget-with-over-n500-billion.html

This theft thrives only because Nigerians are docile and mumu. So glad I don’t live in that shithole! Would have ran these thieves to the ground!!

I didn't read all you wrote up there, but all I know is that we are being lead by wicked set of people. Leadership is a call to serve the people but in this corn-tree its the other way round.

Nigeria politics is all about the money. The saddest part of it is that; majority of the citizens have lost hope.

Ok... Watch how hypocritical Nairaland students notorious for padding school fees, registration fees, textbooks money, etc. will cast the first stone.

Watch how hypocritical Nairaland women, notorious for extorting their husbands will cast the first stone...

Watch how hypocritical Nairaland men, notorious for shortchanging the companies they work at, will cast the first stone. At Sheraton Hotel, where some work, they give room of 150k, pocket 130k, then lie to the management that only 20k was realized..

At Skido Pharmaceutical Company where some work, they engage in various shady practices.. Go to Lekwele forum, Asokoto blog, they illegally waylay unsuspecting advertisers, asking them to pass through them, instead of the owner/proper channel, with a promise of outrageous discounts. And then before you know it, an unknown blog gets featured!

Go to churches, all God's monies are diverted to the pastors' private pockets!

CORRUPTION EVERYWHERE! But these hypocrites are ONLY concerned about the corruption going on in government, forgetting that it's the corrupt people like them that are actually in government! Bloody hypocrites!

CAST THE FIRST STONE IF YOU CAN SWEAR WITH YOUR LIFE THAT YOU ARE NOT AS CORRUPT AS THE POLITICIANS!

BLOODY HYPOCRITES!

Nigeria must better!

The legislators are only doing this simply because they know that the executive too are looting the nation blind, so they too decided to help themselves by padding the budget.

The only unfortunate thing here is that when the money is eventually released to them, they will end up wasting it on things that are not productive to the economy eg funding the lifestyles of their girlfriends, sugar boys and concubines, hiding the money abroad, and going on numerous overseas trips

You will never hear 'ayes' and 'nays' in this one...

Money sharing is a unifying factor at the NASS.

No be small thing

This people no dey even think say hunger dey this country, may they just sell this yeye country share the money atlist we go rest

If only the padding was in the interest of the people.


These visionless political elites will sink this country in to a bottomless pit of debt

Dem no pad Italian chairs reach the way wey dem dey pad Naija budget.

Na their way as always...

Who is in charge of this zoo?

Nigeria is doomed

SilverNorGold:
Ok... Watch how hypocritical Nairaland students notorious for padding school fees, registration fees, textbooks money, etc. will cast the first stone.

Watch how hypocritical Nairaland women, notorious for extorting their husbands will cast the first stone...

Watch how hypocritical Nairaland men, notorious for shortchanging the companies they work at, will cast the first stone. At Sheraton Hotel, where some work, they give room of 150k, pocket 130k, then lie to the management that only 20k was realized..

At Skido Pharmaceutical Company where some work, they engage in various shady practices.. Go to Lekwele forum, Asokoto blog, they illegally weylay unsuspecting advertisers, asking them to pass through them, instead of the owner/proper channel, with a promise of outrageous discounts. And then before you know it, an unknown blog gets featured!

Go to churches, all God's monies are diverted to the pastors' private pockets!

CORRUPTION EVERYWHERE! But these hypocrites are ONLY concerned about the corruption going on in government, forgetting that it's the corrupt people like them that are actually I government! Bloody hypocrites!

CAST THE FIRST STONE IF YOU CAN SWEAR WITH YOUR LIFE THAT YOU ARE NOT AS CORRUPT AS THE POLITICIANS!

BLOODY HYPOCRITES!

Nigeria must better!

At the end of the day, you made no point. All these, just to end it with trash

Awon weyrey

This won’t stop today, tomorrow or ever until Nigerians start demanding for the best. But how can we collectively do this when we still have Nigerians supporting some of these bastards in agbada and Babariga? These bastards are stashing billions meant for millions overseas in anticipation of their retirement but we have sane individuals claiming they’re good people and people are only tarnishing their image because of politics. Every single one of these suckers are criminals.

2021 budget padded with #500b by law makers for budget wey dem never know how dem go take fund am without borrowing .

Make una continue o. One day we will face you all for accountability and demand for justice, it won't be going like this forever na.

This is a govt dt came to fight corruption and u r telling me PMB is a man of integrity. Can one tell me what happened during GEJ dt is nt happening now? The table wll soon turn.

There was a clown/corn tree

It's called constituency project

Padding is now a norm in Nigeria budget.

rontolo:
This theft thrives only because Nigerians are docile and mumu. So glad I don’t live in that shithole! Would have ran these thieves to the ground!!

Nigerians should take to the street in protest,the thievery is becoming worse by the day and the standard of living of Nigerians is dropping drastically, they are virtually feeding from the dustbin because of these selected thieves we call Leaders.

Incompetent set of f00ls

This stupid reporting on NASS padding budget got to stop.

NASS determines the budget in every democracy. They own the purse from Europe to America to Asia. What they allowed are allowed, what they refuse is refused.

Ask Donald Trump his experience with Pelosi.

Truth is, them negros in national assembly, both upper and lower are high end criminals..

Their actions and atrocities Against the citizens continuously proves that it will never end hear.

Account must surely be given, but before then, we need to hold our representative responsible for so many things.

The president isn't the only person in government we should scrutinize,but as usual we have become blind follows who do the Biden's of our sentimental Masters.

It is well!