Trending 
The Nigerian Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) have included at least N3.50 trillion worth of new projects in the proposed 2026 budget, even though ministries and agencies were earlier told not to introduce fresh projects, an analysis has shown.
The MDAs added N844.49 billion in new projects, according to The PUNCH’s analysis of data in the 2026 Appropriations Bill. The value of new projects increases to N3.50 trillion when items listed under Service-Wide Votes are taken into account. This represents roughly 15% of the proposed N23.21 trillion capital budget for 2026.
The government ordered MDAs to carry over 70% of their 2025 capital budget into 2026 in December 2025. The Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning distributed the directive to ministers, service chiefs, and agency heads in its 2026 Abridged Budget Call Circular.
The circular stated that new capital projects would not be allowed in the 2026 budget and that MDAs must continue with projects already approved in the 2025 budget. It warned that all budget submissions must follow strict guidelines and that only essential spending aligned with government priorities would be considered.
According to the circular, “MDAs are to upload 70 per cent of their 2025 FGN Budget to continue in FY2026. All such rollovers must align with the country’s immediate needs and government priorities, including national security, the economy, education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, power and energy, as well as social safety nets and women and youth empowerment. We are constrained by revenue challenges.”
Despite this directive, the budget review shows that at least 82 MDAs included new capital projects or programmes. In total, more than 400 new project lines were introduced, covering large infrastructure and health projects as well as smaller items such as boreholes, training programmes and equipment supply, according to The PUNCH.
“Across these MDAs, the proposed budget contains over 400 new project lines, ranging from large multibillion-naira infrastructure and health investments to smaller constituency-level interventions such as boreholes, training schemes, and equipment supply,” the report states.
“Also, the review of the Service-Wide Votes, with 18 new projects in the 2026 appropriation bill, shows that a significant share of the new project portfolio is tied to financing programmes, security-related provisions, liabilities, and central initiatives.
“The largest single line item is the provision for 2024 outstanding contractors’ liabilities, put at N1.70tn. This allocation alone accounts for about 48.55 per cent of the N3.50 trillion total new projects, including Service Wide Votes.”
Other major Service-Wide Vote items include N300 billion for three funding programmes, N20 billion to capitalise INFRACO, N30 billion for a DSS special operations fund, and N110.31 billion for the Nigerian Air Force to settle obligations for helicopters. The budget also provides N283.85 billion for presidential air fleet logistics and the National Forest Guard.
There are also take-off grants for new MDAs, including N41.12 billion for recurrent spending and N19.50 billion in capital grants for 12 newly created MDAs, mostly in health and education, alongside provisions for pension increases and gratuity payments.
At the MDA level, the five agencies with the highest value of new projects are the Budget Office of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Transport headquarters, the National Library of Nigeria, the National Blood Service Commission and the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority.
The Budget Office of the Federation has the largest single MDA allocation, with N375 billion for additional financing under the Power Sector Recovery Operation. This represents 44.41 per cent of total new MDA projects and 10.71 per cent of all new projects, including Service-Wide Votes.
The Federal Ministry of Transport headquarters follows with N210.53 billion, comprising N68.50 billion for consultancy services for the Lekki-Ijebu-Ore-Kajola railway and the coastal railway, Badagry-Apapa-Tin Can, and N142.03 billion for the construction of six bus terminals and transportation facilities in the six geopolitical zones under national public transportation.
The ministry’s two entries together represent about 24.93 per cent of the N844.49 billion MDA new project total and about 6.01 per cent of the N3.50 trillion total, including Service Wide Votes.
Other allocations include N24 billion for renovation and expansion of the National Library of Nigeria, N15 billion for projects under the National Blood Service Commission, and N9.14 billion for multiple projects by the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority, including rural roads, solar lighting, irrigation pumps and water supply systems.
Additional new spending includes N5.85 billion for vehicle purchases, N2.93 billion for office equipment and furnishings, N29.88 billion for renovations and refurbishments, and N25.29 billion for residential and staff accommodation, mainly for security agencies.
