Budget Padding: How N47.5b Was Allocated For 50 Schools Without Location

As Nigerians continue to debate questions over the alleged padding of the 2024 budget passed by the National Assembly, it has emerged that N47.5 billion was allocated in the budget of the Ministry of Education for the renovation and provision of learning materials in 50 schools across Nigeria with no reference to the location of the schools.

GWG.ng earlier reported that the now-suspended Senator Abdul Ningi two weeks ago drew reference to the alleged padding of the 2024 budget by N3.7 trillion.

Ningi, a People’s Democratic Party member representing Bauchi Central, had alleged that the Senate leadership under Godswill Akpabio and the presidency padded the budget being implemented. He alleged that the budget being implemented by the government was different from the one passed by the National Assembly.

However, page 377 of the 2024 Appropriation Act, with ERGP20243999 under the Federal Ministry of Education line item says N47.5 billion was allocated to “fifty selected Government Secondary Schools Across the Nation for infrastructure upgrade and provision of Education materials and teaching tools”.

Meanwhile, Arise News TV anchor Oseni Rufai who shared the budget document on his X handle, questioned whether the allocation affirmed some of the concerns raised by Senator Ningi on the budget currently implemented by the federal government.

He said: “The Ministry of Education has been allocated ₦47.5 billion for the renovation of 50 schools across Nigeria, with undisclosed locations. Does this affirm some of the concerns raised by Senator Abdul Ningi?”

Meanwhile, some X users in Nigeria have decried the rate of alleged dishonest and illegal activities in the government system especially using the budget of schools

@chuudi01@ wrote: “Transparency is the greatest issue in Nigeria. They intentionally didn’t include locations so that nobody will monitor or question them”.

@FACT_UNDISPUTED decried that stealing and embezzlement of public funds by politicians have become the lot of Nigeria. “Stealing, &embezzling of public funds is what Nigerian politicians are good at. They know that Nigerian people don’t care. People have adjusted their lifestyles to the hardship and situations of things in town now,” the X user said.

@SamuelUzuegbu wrote: “The allocation of ₦47.5 billion for school renovations without disclosing the locations raises valid concerns about transparency and accountability in government spending.

“Senator Abdul Ningi’s concerns about budgetary practices and oversight are echoed in this situation, highlighting the need for greater scrutiny and clarity in resource allocation to ensure effective use of public funds. #TransparencyMatters #AccountabilityNeeded.”

@advocatepubli wrote: “It is difficult to accurately assess the concerns raised by Senator Abdul Ningi without further information on the specifics of his concerns. However, the allocation of ₦47.5 billion for the renovation of 50 schools across Nigeria can be seen as a significant investment in the education sector.

“The impact of this allocation on the quality of education and the learning environment in these schools will depend on the efficient and transparent use of these funds. It is essential for the Ministry of Education to ensure that the renovation projects are carried out effectively and that the allocated funds are used for their intended purpose.”

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