BudgIT Foundation, Nigeria’s civic tech organisation, has revealed that the National Assembly in a budget padding spree of the 2024 Fiscal Appropriation Act, inserted over N100billion in the Federal Co-operative College in Ibadan, Oyo State and Oji River in Enugu State.
BudgIT made this in a posts on its X handle said, “Nigerians, there’s no easy way to say this, #TheBudgetisaMess
According to BudgIT, the Federal Co-operative College, Ibadan, Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria, submitted a proposed budget of N1.5billion to the National Assembly, the legislative went ahead and inserted 182 projects worth N45.36billion and approved N46.9billion,” for the college.
BudgIT is a civic organization, which raises the standards of transparency, citizen engagement and accountability, especially in public finance.
Similarly, the Federal Co-Operative College, Oji River in Enugu State, South-East Nigeria, submitted a budget proposal of N12.8billion to the National Assembly, but the National Assembly sent back N103.6billion as an approved budget.
READ MORE: NCC to Sanction Elon Musk’s Starlink for Increasing Subscription Fees Without Approval
Also, the organisation further revealed that some of the inserted projects, most of which are projects outside the constitutional mandates of the colleges, include N500 million allocated to the college in Ibadan for “Construction of lightening facility within selected rural cooperators communities.”
While Decrying the mindblowing budget padding BudgIT Foundation said, “If we continue like this, where will it take our country?
“The 2025 Budget will soon be presented, and insertions like this should not happen again,” it said.
Follow the Parallel Facts channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
