By Onyeanya Ebere Immaculata
A civil society organisation, MonITNG, has faulted Abuja lawmakers Senator Ireti Kingibe, Ajiya Abdulrahman, and Joshua Chinedu Obika for prioritising streetlights, vehicles, and patronage-driven projects over education and healthcare in the 2024 federal budget.
In a statement on Monday, MonITNG noted that more than ₦1.1 billion was allocated to “political patronage” projects, including ₦150 million for solar streetlights, ₦100 million for lighting the Apo Legislators’ Quarters, ₦100 million for vehicles for traditional rulers, and ₦75 million for household items.
By contrast, the lawmakers earmarked just ₦25 million for 35 desktop computers at Orozo Secondary School, ₦50 million for educational grants to indigent students, and ₦50 million for a one-off medical outreach, which the CSO dismissed as “mere tokens.”
The group criticised the neglect of Abuja’s satellite communities, citing dilapidated schools, under-equipped health centres, and unsafe water in Abaji, Kwali, and Gwagwalada.
“The state of education, water, and health facilities in Abuja’s satellite communities remains in ruins,” MonITNG said. “These are the urgent needs that should have guided budget nominations, but they were ignored.”
The CSO also flagged questionable implementation arrangements, pointing out that projects were assigned to agencies with no legal mandate in the FCT, including the College of Veterinary and Medical Laboratory Technology (Plateau), the Federal College of Horticulture (Gombe), and the Cooperative College (Oji River).
It added that this practice mirrors long-standing concerns raised by BudgIT over project duplication, misallocation, and poor transparency in Nigeria’s budgeting process.
