The Federal Ministry of Works has proposed spending over N1.9 billion on office equipment, vehicles, routine maintenance and generator-related costs in its N3.2 trillion 2026 budget, according to breakdowns contained in the 2026 Appropriation Bill published by the Budget Office of the Federation.
The allocations—covering what are typically classified as overhead and operational items—represent a small fraction of the ministry’s overall envelope (about 0.06% by simple proportion). But the line items are already drawing attention because of Nigeria’s long-running public debate over recurrent spending, “constituency-style” inserts and the transparency of budget details.
Office and operational spending
Under the proposal, the ministry plans to spend:
- N1.06bn on office furniture and fittings
- N682m on motor vehicles
- N36m on plant and generator maintenance, plus N23.8m for general maintenance activities
- N200m for fueling generators
- N112m for general utilities
- N20m each for electricity and internet access, and N10m for satellite broadcast access
- N14m for fire alarm systems at headquarters (Blocks A & B) and N7m for servicing fire extinguishers
The document also shows N6.7bn set aside for personnel costs, with salaries accounting for N4.7bn.
“Empowerment” projects exceed N500m
Beyond administrative spending, the ministry’s draft budget includes over N500m in “empowerment” programmes spread across constituencies—such as grinding machines for women in Ndokwa/Ukwani, vocational training for women in parts of Plateau, and trade tools for youths and retirees in Gombe—alongside proposals to supply mini buses, pick-up vans and motorcycles in Ebonyi.
Budget transparency advocates have repeatedly flagged how similar social-intervention and constituency-type projects often appear across MDAs, sometimes after legislative changes during appropriation reviews.
The 2026 Appropriation Bill—uploaded by the Budget Office on January 8—will now face committee scrutiny and possible amendments at the National Assembly before passage and eventual implementation.
