Nigeria’s proposed 2026 budget has come under fresh scrutiny after civic monitoring organisation Tracka revealed that spending on luxury vehicles and empowerment programmes is projected to reach nearly ₦1 trillion—more than the combined allocations to seven key federal ministries.
Tracka, a non-governmental organisation that monitors public finance and government expenditure, said its review of the 2026 budget proposal showed that the Federal Government earmarked ₦15.13 billion for the purchase of 39 sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and ₦947.7 billion for 2,579 empowerment projects nationwide.
Combined, the two spending items amount to ₦962.83 billion, exceeding the ₦960.27 billion allocated to seven ministries.
The affected ministries and their proposed allocations are:
- Trade and Investment – ₦156.8 billion
- Housing – ₦145.3 billion
- Women Affairs – ₦169.39 billion
- Justice – ₦150.7 billion
- Livestock Development – ₦177.6 billion
- Aviation and Aerospace Development – ₦87.3 billion
- Petroleum – ₦73.1 billion
According to Tracka, the disparity raises questions about the government’s spending priorities at a time when the country faces pressing challenges in housing, industrial development and social welfare.
The organisation also expressed concern over the transparency of the empowerment programmes, noting that only 70 of the 2,579 projects have clearly identified implementation locations.
It said the remaining projects cannot easily be tracked by citizens, verified by oversight institutions or scrutinised by taxpayers seeking to determine who ultimately benefits from the funds.
Tracka further noted that the projects are distributed across 184 federal agencies, many of which have no statutory mandate to implement empowerment schemes.
Among the agencies handling the largest allocations are a river basin authority overseeing 393 projects worth ₦127.1 billion, the National Agricultural Development Fund managing six projects worth ₦89.5 billion, a state development authority responsible for 216 projects valued at ₦88.1 billion, and another agency supervising 94 projects worth ₦36.9 billion.
While acknowledging that properly designed empowerment programmes can improve the livelihoods of vulnerable Nigerians, Tracka warned that poorly structured initiatives have repeatedly been used as instruments of political patronage, rewarding party loyalists instead of delivering measurable benefits to the wider public.
“Without clear project locations, transparent beneficiary selection criteria and legally mandated implementing agencies, public trust in these programmes is likely to erode further,” the organisation said.
Tracka also pointed out that the proposed 2026 budget is expected to run a deficit of about 46 per cent, meaning part of the government’s expenditure will be financed through borrowing.
Given the country’s fiscal pressures, the organisation argued that every naira spent should be tied to projects with clear, measurable outcomes and transparent implementation.
