Economy

FG allocated N81.7b for streetlights in 2023, more than schools, health combined, BudgIT laments

Published

2 years ago

June 11, 2023

Nigeria’s non-governmental and nonprofit civic tech organisation with special interest on transparency, citizen engagement and accountability especially in public finance, BudgIT, has raises alarm that the federal government allocated N81.7 billion for streetlights in 2023.

According to BudgIT in a publication made available to News Band, the allocation goes beyond that of schools and primary health centers, which stand at N77.9 billion and N3.1 billion, respectively, combined.

The whistle-blowing organisation, last week, published a statement to express concern over federal government’s priorities in the 2023 budget.

According to BudgIT, shocking figures reveal that an exorbitant amount of N81.7 billion was allocated to the construction of solar streetlights in the 2023 budget.

The statement reads: “According to findings by BugIT, a service delivery promotion platform under the NGO which allows citizens to collaborate, track, and give feedback on public projects in their communities, a total of N81.7 billion was allocated to the construction of solar street lights in the 2023 FG Capital and Constituency projects while the total allocation to schools and primary health centres gulped N77.9 billion and N3.1 billion respectively in the 2023 budget.”

BudgIT regretted that such a disproportionate allocation raises concerns about the government’s prioritization of resources.

It further observed that numerous streetlights in existing have become non-functional and vandalized and wondered how the government placed its priorities.

It said: “Additionally, it is worth noting that numerous existing streetlights have become non-functional and vandalized within just two years of their construction, further highlighting the misplacement of priorities.

“Our analysis has uncovered numerous irregularities in the allocation of funds to various agencies. Over 687 projects worth N112 billion have been assigned to agencies beyond their mandated scope.

“For instance, the Nigerian Army has received an allocation of N4.5 billion for the construction of the Dengi-Kwalmiya-Gagdi-Wawus Bauchi Road in Plateau State.

“Similarly, the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research has been assigned N1.2 billion across four projects to supply medical equipment to health centers in Ogun State.

“Furthermore, N580 million has been allocated to the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, for the construction of roads and streetlights in Abia State, among other questionable allocations.

“This year, there has been a noticeable reduction of 21% in the percentage of funds allocated to empowerment projects compared to the previous year.

“In 2022, N58 billion out of N100 billion was allocated to empowerment projects, whereas in 2023, only N37 billion out of N100 billion was allocated.

“Our investigation into the 2022 budget expenditure has revealed alarming irregularities.

“Through www.govspend.ng, we discovered N10 billion in payments made to 18 personal accounts for vague services. See complete analysis and breakdown here,” it added.

Buhari Administration Scorecard

BudgIT further presented an analysis of the data, facts, and figures that characterized the President Muhammad Buhari’s time as President which has come to an end as the nation welcomed its fifth democratically elected president in the fourth republic.

It noted that the economic legacy of the President Buhari’s ddministration was a legacy of debt.

The debt almost doubled from 18% to 35% of GDP, while inflation hit the roof at 22.4%, with 133 million Nigerians in poverty, a raft of economic policies and spending that accelerated a significant level of infrastructure.

BudgIT reflected on the economic legacy of the Buhari administration, its achievements, shortcomings, and regressive steps and condemned it in totality.

Clean water supply

The non-governmental organisation also reported about the people of Numbwa Tukura community, in Suleja LGA, Niger State, that have not had access to clean water for over 8 years.

Niger State community that has only one dirty stream that provides unclean water to over 3,000 residents for cooking, cleaning, and farming

During a visit to the community in May 2023 for a sensitization meeting and discovered their plight, it was observed that the community has only one dirty stream that provides unclean water to over 3,000 residents.

“These citizens are left with no option but to drink the mixture and use it to cook, clean, and farm,” BudgIT reported their plight.

On petrol subsidy, which it described as “the burning issue in the country”, BudgIT in its latest policy brief, examined the economic effects of subsidy withdrawal and said:

“It is no longer news that the government must stop petrol subsidy to preserve Nigeria’s fiscal viability, however, the removal of subsidy should be strategic and with consideration to Nigerians’ economic position.” Read more.

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