Budget Office Corrects False Narrative on NEDC Allocation
By: Abayomi Queen – Abuja
The Budget Office of the Federation categorically has rejected recent claims alleging that the North East Development Commission (NEDC) operates a ₦246 billion “salaries budget.”
A statement signed by
Director General, Budget office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu said the assertion is misleading, inaccurate, and rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s budgeting framework.
“Contrary to claims circulating in the public domain, the ₦246.77 billion reflected against the NEDC in the budget is not a salaries-only allocation. It is a statutory lump-sum provision, initially presented at an aggregate level, consistent with established budget preparation practices for statutory and quasi-statutory bodies under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).” He said
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He explained that the ₦244 billion of this allocation was not earmarked solely for personnel costs is factually incorrect. “During budget preparation, where agencies do not submit complete internal economic breakdowns at the point of upload, allocations may temporarily appear under the Personnel Cost heading as a technical placeholder.”
“This is a recognised procedural convention pending detailed submissions, legislative adjustments, and approved reallocations during budget execution.”
Speaking on the #2.7 billion capital expenditure cited in public commentary, he said the figure was due to rephrasing of capital votes in the 2025 budget, with approximately 70 per cent rolled into the 2026 fiscal year.
“Indeed, project schedules attached to the same budget documents shows multiple ongoing interventions across the North East, including agricultural support programmes, food security initiatives, orphanage construction and rehabilitation, IDP camp reconstruction, boreholes, security logistics, and constituency-level development projects. Selective reading of a single budget line while ignoring accompanying schedules is not analysis—it is a distortion.”
“Personnel costs within a development commission are neither unusual nor improper. They fund engineers, procurement officers, project managers, monitoring and evaluation teams, and fiduciary oversight required to design, supervise, and deliver projects effectively. No development institution executes its mandate without institutional capacity.”
“The Budget office acknowledged that the NEDC operates within well-defined accountability frameworks, including the MTEF, annual Appropriation Acts, National Assembly oversight, quarterly budget performance reporting, and statutory audits. The claim that the NEDC exists merely to pay salaries is unfounded. It conflates technical budget presentation with actual expenditure intent, ignores legislative appropriation dynamics, and disregards project-level evidence already embedded in official documents.”
The Budget Office urged commentators and members of the public to engage responsibly with fiscal information adding that misinformation does not serve accountability, and ignorance of the budget process should not be weaponised as public commentary.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JANUARY 15TH 2026)
