A review of Kogi State’s 2025 third-quarter (Q3) budget performance has revealed that several ministries, commissions, and key government agencies received no funding for capital projects throughout the first, second, and third quarters of the year.
According to the report on capital expenditure by administrative classification, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, which was allocated ₦200 million in both the original and revised budgets, received zero funding from January to September 2025.
Similarly, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, with allocations of ₦4.37 billion and ₦1.8 billion respectively, also received no funds within the same period.
Other agencies that got zero capital funding include the Ministry of Livestock Development (₦600 million), Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (₦472 million), Ministry of Information and Communication (₦20 million), and the Office of the State Auditor-General.
The report also revealed that the Civil Service Commission (₦16 million), Water Board (₦460 million), and Pension Commission (₦101 million) received no capital allocations during the nine-month period.
Likewise, the House of Assembly Service Commission, Bureau of Public Procurement (₦500 million), and the Deputy Governor’s Office (₦1.17 billion) were not funded for any capital projects.
The Kogi State Hajj Commission, with a ₦10 million allocation, received only ₦1 million, while the Christian Pilgrims Commission, which had the same allocation, got no funding at all.
Under the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, both the Office of Budget and Economic Planning (allocated ₦10.68 billion originally and ₦493 million in the revised budget) and the Kogi Bureau of Statistics (₦30 million original, ₦330 million revised) received nothing throughout Q1–Q3.
The Rural Access Road Agency, which was allocated ₦3.82 million in both the original and revised budgets, also got zero funding. This is despite the Ministry of Rural and Energy Development, under which the agency operates, receiving ₦123.6 million between January and September.
Despite repeated allocations for infrastructure, Kogi remains one of the states with the worst road networks in Nigeria, according to residents and local transporters. They have lamented the worsening condition of roads such as the Abuja–Lokoja and Benin–Lagos highways, which they say have become death traps and hideouts for bandits and kidnappers.
The poor state of infrastructure has crippled local businesses, made it difficult for farmers to transport produce, and raised transportation costs across the state. Many residents have staged protests over the government’s neglect, demanding urgent intervention and accountability in budget implementation.
Analysts and civic groups have called on Governor Usman Ododo’s administration to explain the complete non-release of funds for critical sectors, warning that such fiscal behavior undermines development and worsens poverty levels across Kogi State.
