ABUJA — Civil society organization BudgIT has raised alarm over massive constituency project insertions in the 2025 Federal Government budget, revealing that lawmakers earmarked N393.29 billion for 1,477 streetlight projects across the country.
The disclosure, contained in BudgIT’s detailed breakdown of the approved N54.99 trillion national budget, triggered widespread public outrage on social media, with critics accusing the National Assembly of inflating infrastructure line items and usurping local government responsibilities.
According to BudgIT, the streetlight allocations represent part of 11,122 unvetted projects worth N6.93 trillion inserted into the fiscal framework by the legislature without prior executive planning or technical needs assessment.
Public Backlash over Estimated Costs
The breakdown sparked intense public debate after initial interpretations suggested an average allocation of over N260 million per project entry. Civic groups and opposition figures questioned the economic logic of deploying monumental federal funds for basic municipal lighting.
“It is absurd that a federal legislature would concern itself with streetlights; such projects should be the preserve of local government administration,” BudgIT stated in its analysis, noting that the indiscriminate insertions undermine fiscal discipline and constitutional jurisdiction.
Fact-checking organizations subsequently clarified that the 1,477 figure represents individual budgetary line items—many containing multiple installations across senatorial districts and federal constituencies—rather than single physical poles. However, analysts maintain that the aggregate sum highlights systemic inflated procurement practices in public contracting.
Pattern of Inflated Constituency Allocations
The streetlight allocation is part of a broader pattern of questionable legislative insertions flagged by public finance monitors in the approved budget:
- Borehole Contracts: 538 borehole projects inserted at a total value of N114.53 billion.
- ICT Infrastructure: 2,122 ICT-related items earmarked for N505.79 billion across various federal constituencies.
- Community Infrastructure: N17.23 billion allocated for 53 town halls, alongside N6.74 billion earmarked for traditional ruler empowerment projects.
Economists and policy analysts have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to audit the execution of constituency projects, warning that uncoordinated budget padding drains critical resources from major capital projects.
Calls for Legislative Fiscal Reform
The executive arm has faced mounting pressure from civil society coalitions to enforce strict implementation guidelines and restrict releases for unbudgeted legislative insertions.
Governance experts argue that until the National Assembly aligns its intervention projects with national developmental priorities, federal budgets will continue to suffer from fragmentation and inflated capital expenditure.
Neither the leadership of the National Assembly nor the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning has issued a formal rebuttal regarding BudgIT’s findings, as public calls for budget transparency intensify.
