Business
President Tinubu spends over N10trn on frivolous projects in two years, amidst biting economic hardship
Since taking office, President Bola Tinubu’s administration has drawn commendation and criticism for its economic and financial decisions.
While some see his spending as necessary for Nigeria’s development and stability, others see it as excessive or misdirected and misplaced, especially in the face of daunting economic challenges Nigerians are facing as a result of the administration’s economic policies.
Interestingly, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) had earlier spotted 254 frivolous, inappropriate and wasteful items in the Federal Government’s 2025 budget, amounting to about N7 trillion.
Critics highlight that these items, which include expenditure on vehicles, utensils, unnecessary office supplies, and recurring allocations detract from essential services and infrastructure investments needed to address the country’s pressing economic challenges.
The CSJ believes that by removing those wasteful and frivolous expenditure in the budget, it could save the country as much as N954 billion, especially in the face of economic and fiscal crisis ravaging livelihood of many Nigerians.
The budget, totaling N49.74 trillion, faces public scrutiny for a projected N13.08 trillion deficit and a staggering N16.327trn allocated for debt servicing, which consumes a significant portion of the revenue.
Analysts argue that prioritizing such trivial expenditure undermines efforts to combat poverty and improve living standards in Nigeria, especially as the country grapples with high inflation rates and economic stagnation.
“With this scenario, the reasonable expectation is that every available resource in the 2025 federal budget proposal should be targeted at concrete deliverables aimed at reducing poverty, creating jobs, improving infrastructure and stimulating economic growth,” Eze Onyekpere, lead director, Centre for Social Justice stated.
Borrowing for Consumption
“Indeed, frivolous, inappropriate, unclear and wasteful expenditure should be eliminated from the budget.
“A large part of the funding for the budget will be borrowed and it will be foolhardy to borrow and waste the borrowed funds.
“There are so many projects that are vaguely described and without location; a play on words using terms like empowerment and sensitisation, etc.”
Ever since Tinubu came to power, Nigerians, especially the common people have gone through unprecedented economic hardship, suffering, low life quality, increasing psychological fears as a result of insecurity being experienced, and the high cost of daily life.
Sorry nice coming to power, this administration has embarked on white elephant and conspicuous consumption projects, such as the Lagos-Calabar highway, Sokoto-Calabar Lagos super highway etc rather investment in the palliative measures promised to cushion the effect of the harsh economic policies.
Only recently, the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi gave a gripping account of some of these projects that gulped billions of naira, which are widely regarded as frivolous and a direct mockery of the suffering Nigerians, and an expression of total apathy to their plights.
Conflict in Spending Style
Impervious to criticism, the administration continues to chorus “patience” on the part of Nigerians to endure the biting hardship in order to ‘enjoy’ better days ahead, while pampering the political class, especially members of the National Assembly, and the military with stupendous financial benefits, such as cars and other perks that make mouths water.
The Emir noted that he disagreed with the president on the claims that he inherited a dilapidated Nigeria from the former President Muhammadu Buhari, which has been their routine excuse for the apparent bad state of the economy.
In the interview with Eagles Media TV, Sanusi was quoted as saying that a regime that inherited a bad economy should be more prudent and fiscally responsible in managing scarce resources rather than the extravagant spending by the administration.
“How can a president that claimed to have inherited a dilapidated economy be spending public funds extravagantly as if you inherited a rich and prosperous country?”
“How would you justify the following extravagant spendings under your government?”
According to Sanusi – and up to date his claims have not been controverted – the President spent over N15 trillion in frivolous projects which have no immediate impact on the people or economy. For instance, the Lagos-Calabar coastal road, which was commissioned last recently at 30 km or six percent completion, is put at N4 trillion at N2.8 bn of the 700km.
Dr. Ahmed Walata, a sociologist, told Business Hallmark that “This administration has proved to be capitalist-oriented, anti-people and a major stooge of the Bretton Woods institutions. Of all the governments the country has ever had this is the most anti-people. I wonder if Nigerians can endure eight years of this administration.”
He noted that the government has spent money on frivolous projects that did not benefit the people but a sop to the political class amidst biting hardship.
Squandering of Resources
Some of these projects include the N21 billion to renovate the Vice President house, N39 billion to renovate the International Conference center; N70bn released to the National Assembly members to buy SUVs at the cost of N160 million per one for Senators and House Of Reps members specifically.
According to Sanusi the sum of N4bn was used to renovate Dodan Barrack in Lagos, while another N3bn went into renovation of Aguda House in Abuja. Sanusi claimed that N5 billion was given to Presidential Tax Reforms Committee of less than twenty people headed by Mr. Taiwo Oyedele with not much to show for it.
Also, N1.5 billion went to purchase cars for his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu despite the fact that First Lady Office is not recognized by our Constitution; a
300% salary increase for the judges, which was speedily passed by the insensitive and irresponsible Senators;
N5 billion was budgeted for Presidential fleet of cars for President Bola Tinubu .
Others include N5 billion equally budgeted for presidential yatch, and
N225 billion spent on so-called presidential jet; N90 billion spent on 2024 Hajj pilgrimage, among many others.
Analysts have continued to wonder the rationale behind this and the mocking double standards implicit in the action.
Dayo Tanimola, a business man and self proclaimed welfarist, told this medium that, “They asked us to bear patiently the cost of their economic misadventures, while at the same time shielding themselves from the hardship. Buying SUVs for parliamentarians at such humongous cost, while asking Nigerians to be patient is something that speaks volumes about their apathy! This is double standard!”
Joseph Prekemeh Boroh, an Abuja- based retired civil servant, said the “administration is only for the rich, this has been confirmed right from inception.”
Emir Sanusi stated that N15 trillion Lagos-Calabar coastal road was awarded illegally to his friend – a Lebanese, Gilbert Chagoury – who was deported back to his country by the former President Obasanjo.
He criticized the President for assembling the largest ministers ever in the history of Nigeria.
Budget Padding/Duplication of Projects
The federal government’s N54.99 trillion 2025 budget, touted as a catalyst for economic transformation, has come under fire for duplicated projects, frivolous spending, inflated allocations and apparent violations of fiscal responsibility laws.
A review of the budget by Business Hallmark revealed repeated and overlapping projects as line items like solar street lights, classroom repairs” and “cash grants to constituents” dominate the allocations.
For example, the Ministry of Arts and Culture’s budget includes six identical entries for the “renovation and furnishing of artist hostels in Abuja,” each with the same amount and budget code.
In the budget, the provision of streetlights appeared 1,477 times across different ministries, with a total budget allocation of N393.29 billion, which when calculated, brings it to N266 million per streetlight. The empowerment of traditional rulers appeared 32 times, with a budget allocation of N6.74 billion, while the construction of boreholes appeared 538 times, with a total allocation of N114.53 billion and the renovation of community town halls appeared 43 times, with a budget allocation of N17.23 billion.
Included in the line items under the Ministry of Agriculture were the construction of a multipurpose civic center in Niger State for N400 million and the general remodeling of Aliyu Ndayako Memorial Stadium in Niger for N500 million.
Under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, N4 billion was allocated for the completion of five stadiums in Bichi, Dawakin, Kabo, Tofa and Gwarzo and under the Ministry of Information, N10m was allocated for the “Establishment of a Corruption Conduct Index, N50 million was allocated for the construction of a school perimeter fence with a gatehouse in Doma, N100 million was allocated for the provision of grains to residents of Mabuhu in Kaduna State and N200 million was allocated for the supply of rice to constituents in Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa.
Under the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, N12 million was budgeted for the “Implementation of the New Nigeria Tourism Development Act”, while N100 million was allocated for the procurement and distribution of farming equipment to young farmers in Epe.
The allocation to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), shows N800 million for “Honorarium and sitting allowances”, N150 million to “Supply and furnish royal fathers’ homes in Gombe,” among others.
An example is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was allocated N300 million for “Provision of relief items and capacity development for IDPs in the North East,” raising questions as to why humanitarian crises are not handled by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
Agencies like the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), whose core mandate is research, were allocated N2.5 billion, N2 billion, N1.5 billion for road construction and N1 billion for vehicle procurement. Another example is the Federal Co-operative College, Oji River, whose responsibility is with cooperative education, was allocated N1 billion for streetlights, N1.5 billion for community electrification and N3 billion to buy vehicles for farmers.
Similarly, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation was allocated N1 billion for the renovation of INEC offices despite the fact the electoral commission has its own budget, while the Ministry of Agriculture, which is grappling with worsening food insecurity, was allocated N100 million to train hairdressers, and the Ministry of Transportation was allocated N240 million to purchase grinding machines.
There is also the proliferation of “cash grants” inserted by legislators. Some lawmakers are allocated as much as N300 million to distribute as grants. Critics argue these grants, which are placed outside agencies like the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, are chosen because they demand less accountability than tangible projects like roads.
Budgit had criticized the 2025 budget, stating that President Tinubu’s directive to increase it by N4.5 trillion bypassed the mandatory Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), a cornerstone of Nigeria’s Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2007. The National Assembly then further increased the budget without justification.
Budgit says this overspending breaches the constitutional limit on fiscal deficits (3% of GDP) by over N3 trillion and relies on optimistic oil production forecasts of 2.06 million barrels per day, despite current production struggling below 1.3 million barrels.