The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has again condemned the 2025 Appropriation Act, describing it as a glaring example of uncoordinated spending, systemic corruption, and a failure of national planning.
Speaking in Abuja yesterday, the National Secretary of the CUPP, Chief Peter Ameh, said the budget—meant to serve as a tool for national development — has instead become a symbol of administrative confusion and waste, reports Vanguard.
“A cursory examination of its pages reveals a chaotic mishmash of misaligned projects, duplicated expenditures, and outright absurdities that bear little relevance to the mandates of the ministries tasked with their execution,” Ameh stated.
He cited examples including the Ministry of Agriculture allegedly funding hairdresser training and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs providing relief to internally displaced persons (IDPs), describing such allocations as “reckless spending that undermines Nigeria’s progress.”
Ameh decried what he described as the alarming level of budgetary mismanagement, arguing that the 2025 budget exposes deep dysfunction in Nigeria’s public finance system.
“Projects such as classroom repairs, solar streetlights, civic centers, stadiums, hairdresser training, and interlocking stone installation in markets appear under the Ministry of Agriculture—whose core focus should be food security and agricultural development,” he said.
He highlighted the contradiction of allocating N100 million to train hairdressers amid soaring food inflation nearing 30%, calling it a scandalous misuse of public funds.
The CUPP further criticised a pattern of budgetary duplication and inflation across ministries. Ameh pointed out that the Ministry of Arts and Culture listed the “renovation and furnishing of artist hostels in Abuja” six times—each with identical budget codes and amounts, suggesting deliberate duplication.
He also accused the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation of listing frivolous constituency projects, including N800 million for “honorarium and sitting allowance” and N150 million for furnishing royal fathers’ homes in Gombe State.
One of the most disturbing anomalies, according to Ameh, is the allocation of N300 million by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for relief items and capacity development for IDPs—duties that logically fall under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs or the Ministry of Interior.
“Why are ministries operating outside their mandates? The answer lies in the budget’s structure, which prioritises individual insertions over national priorities, allowing legislators to exploit vague budget items like ‘cash grants’ for personal gain,” he queried.
The CUPP also warned against the rising trend of “cash grant” allocations, some as high as N300 million, which are often managed outside the supervision of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, raising red flags about transparency and accountability.
The coalition called for urgent reforms to overhaul Nigeria’s budgetary process, insisting that without strategic planning, oversight, and alignment with core national priorities, the country risks economic stagnation and deepening public distrust.
