Budget Office Slams ‘₦246bn Salaries’ Claim, Says NEDC Allocation Grossly Misrepresented
At a time when public trust in government spending remains fragile, how a single budget line is interpreted can either deepen cynicism or clarify accountability.
The Budget Office of the Federation has moved to puncture a widely circulating narrative that the North East Development Commission (NEDC) has a ₦246 billion “salaries budget,” describing the claim as misleading and based on a poor understanding of Nigeria’s budgeting process.
In a press statement issued in Abuja, the Director-General, Tanimu Yakubu, explained that the ₦246.77 billion reflected for the NEDC in the 2025 budget is not a personnel-only allocation but a statutory lump-sum provision presented in line with Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) rules.
Yakubu said the temporary appearance of most of the sum under Personnel Costs was merely a technical placeholder used when agencies are yet to submit detailed internal breakdowns, not a reflection of spending intent.
He also clarified that the ₦2.70 billion capital figure being cited in public debates resulted from a National Assembly decision to roll about 70 per cent of capital votes into the 2026 fiscal year, rather than evidence that the commission has no projects.
According to the Budget Office, accompanying project schedules show that NEDC is actively implementing interventions across the North East, including agricultural programmes, food security initiatives, IDP camp reconstruction, boreholes, and constituency-level projects.
Yakubu further defended personnel spending, noting that development agencies require skilled engineers, procurement experts, project managers, and monitoring teams to deliver projects effectively.
He urged analysts and citizens to engage more responsibly with fiscal data, warning that misinformation undermines genuine accountability.
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