Budget Office Refutes ₦246 Billion ‘Salaries’ Claim, Highlights NEDC Development Projects

Budget Office Refutes ₦246 Billion ‘Salaries’ Claim, Highlights NEDC Development Projects

The Budget Office of the Federation has dismissed allegations that the North East Development Commission (NEDC) operates a ₦246 billion “salaries budget,” describing the claim as misleading and stemming from a poor understanding of Nigeria’s federal budgeting process.

In a statement on Thursday, the Director General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, clarified that the ₦246.77 billion figure linked to NEDC in the budget is a statutory lump-sum provision, not an allocation solely for personnel. This figure is presented at an aggregate level as part of standard procedures under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for statutory and quasi-statutory agencies.

Yakubu emphasized that claims suggesting ₦244 billion is exclusively for salaries are “factually incorrect.” He explained that during budget preparation, when agencies have not uploaded detailed economic breakdowns, totals may temporarily appear under Personnel Cost as a technical placeholder. This does not reflect actual spending intent and is later detailed, reviewed by the legislature, and adjusted during budget execution.

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The Budget Office also addressed concerns about capital expenditure, noting that the ₦2.70 billion figure cited by critics arose from a National Assembly-approved restructuring of capital votes in the 2025 budget, with about 70% rolled into the 2026 fiscal year. This was a legislative decision on timing and does not imply the absence of development projects.

Attached project schedules show extensive NEDC interventions across the North East region, including agricultural support programmes, food security initiatives, reconstruction of orphanages and IDP camps, borehole projects, security logistics support, and constituency-level development projects.

The office stressed that focusing on a single budget line while ignoring detailed project schedules distorts the facts. Personnel costs, it added, cover professionals such as engineers, project managers, procurement officers, and monitoring teams essential for effective project delivery.

The statement reaffirmed that NEDC operates under established accountability frameworks, including the MTEF, annual Appropriation Acts, National Assembly oversight, quarterly budget performance reports, and statutory audits.

While welcoming informed scrutiny, the Budget Office cautioned against spreading misinformation, urging commentators to engage responsibly with fiscal information.

“The claim that the NEDC exists merely to pay salaries is unfounded,” the statement concluded.

Budget Office Refutes ₦246 Billion ‘Salaries’ Claim, Highlights NEDC Development Projects