The Budget Office of the Federation has dismissed claims circulating in the public space that the North East Development Commission (NEDC) operates a ₦246 billion budget dedicated solely to salaries, describing the narrative as misleading and based on a misunderstanding of Nigeria’s federal budgeting process.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Budget Office clarified that the ₦246.77 billion allocation reflected against the NEDC in the federal budget is not a personnel-only provision. Rather, it is a statutory lump-sum allocation presented at an aggregate level in line with established budget preparation practices for statutory and quasi-statutory agencies under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework.
The Office stressed that suggestions that about ₦244 billion of the allocation is earmarked exclusively for personnel costs are factually incorrect.
According to the statement, during budget preparation, where agencies have not yet submitted detailed internal economic breakdowns, allocations may temporarily appear under the personnel cost line as a technical placeholder. This, it explained, is a recognised procedural convention pending the submission of detailed information, legislative review, and approved reallocations during budget execution.
“This technical presentation should not be mistaken for spending intent,” the Budget Office said.
On capital expenditure, the Office explained that the ₦2.70 billion figure cited in public commentary reflects a rephasing of capital votes approved by the National Assembly in the 2025 budget, with roughly 70 per cent of the capital allocation rolled over into the 2026 fiscal year. The decision, it noted, was legislative and relates to the timing of appropriations, not the absence of development projects.
The Budget Office added that project schedules attached to the budget documents show multiple ongoing interventions across the North East, including agricultural support programmes, food security initiatives, construction and rehabilitation of orphanages, reconstruction of internally displaced persons’ camps, borehole projects, security logistics, and constituency-level development interventions.
It warned that focusing on a single budget line while ignoring accompanying project schedules amounts to distortion rather than analysis.
The Office further noted that personnel costs are a legitimate component of any development agency’s operations, covering professionals such as engineers, procurement officers, project managers, and monitoring and evaluation teams required to design and deliver projects effectively.
The NEDC, it said, operates within established accountability mechanisms, including the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, annual Appropriation Acts, National Assembly oversight, quarterly budget performance reports, and statutory audits.
While welcoming public scrutiny, the Budget Office cautioned that commentary on fiscal matters must be informed by an understanding of how the budget system functions.
The statement, signed by the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, urged commentators and members of the public to engage responsibly with fiscal information, warning that misinformation undermines accountability rather than strengthening it.
