Respected public policy analyst Waziri Adio has raised concerns about several provisions in the proposed 2025 federal government budget. Writing in his weekly column for THISDAY, Adio, who is the founder and executive director of the Agora Policy think tank, described some budgetary items as “curious” and questioned their necessity, transparency, and alignment with broader national priorities.
Metro Line Funding Concerns
Adio highlighted the N146.14 billion allocation as counterpart funding for the Lagos Green Line Metro Rail Phase 1. He noted that this amount represents 65% of the Ministry of Transport’s capital budget and 57% of its entire budget.
“If this is counterpart funding from a recapitalized MOFI (Ministry of Finance Incorporated), why is the money coming from the federal ministry’s budget?” he asked. “Why can’t MOFI raise this funding from the market? How was it decided that federal funds should be invested in this state-specific project, and will similar support be available to other states?”
Questioning NIA Hospital and FIRS Building Budgets
Adio also expressed concern over the proposed N238.05 billion for a hospital for the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA), which he compared to the Ministry of Health’s capital budget of N653.61 billion.
“Why do we need such an allocation for an agency-specific hospital, while the health ministry serving the entire nation gets proportionately less? Similarly, why allocate N50 billion for a building for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), an agency already receiving 4% as cost of collection and managing a substantial budget?”
Adio further pointed to a N761.97 billion line item for “Special Projects,” describing it as vague and lacking transparency.
Mystery of Unaccounted Budget Items
The former executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) also noted the absence of clear funding sources for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the presidential jet in the budget documents.
“I have searched extensively, both in current and previous budget documents, but these items remain untraceable. If they are included, they are either hidden or couched in a way that is not apparent,” he said.
Call for Transparency and Accountability
Adio underscored the importance of transparency and democratic accountability in public spending.
“Citizens deserve to know how their common wealth is being spent. Public funds should not be expended without proper appropriation and accountability. In a democracy, those in power hold it in trust for the people and must be answerable for their actions,” he wrote.
Adio urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and demand better stewardship of the nation’s resources, emphasizing the need for clarity, transparency, and value for money in all budgetary processes.
