Budget Office debunks claims of ₦246bn salaries budget for NEDC
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 salaries budget, describing the narrative as false, misleading and based on a poor understanding of Nigeria’s budgeting process.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the Director General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, clarified that the ₦246.77 billion allocation reflected against the NEDC in the federal budget is not dedicated solely to personnel costs but represents a statutory lump-sum provision.
According to the Budget Office, such aggregate allocations are consistent with established budgeting practices for statutory and quasi-statutory agencies under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).
“The claim that ₦244 billion of this allocation is earmarked exclusively for salaries is factually incorrect,” the statement said.
The office explained that during budget preparation, when agencies have not yet submitted full internal economic breakdowns, allocations may temporarily appear under the personnel cost heading as a technical placeholder. This, it noted, is a recognised procedural convention pending detailed submissions, legislative review and approved reallocations during budget execution.
“This technical presentation must not be confused with spending intent,” the statement stressed.
Addressing concerns about capital expenditure, the Budget Office said the ₦2.70 billion figure being cited by commentators resulted from a National Assembly-approved rephrasing of capital votes in the 2025 budget, with about 70 per cent of the funds rolled over into the 2026 fiscal year.
It noted that the adjustment was a legislative decision on the timing of appropriations and does not suggest the absence of development projects in the North East.
The statement added that budget documents contain detailed project schedules showing multiple ongoing interventions by the NEDC, including agricultural support programmes, food security initiatives, construction and rehabilitation of orphanages, reconstruction of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, borehole projects, security logistics, and constituency-based development initiatives.
The Budget Office also defended personnel costs within development commissions, explaining that such expenditures cover engineers, procurement officers, project managers, monitoring and evaluation teams, and other professionals required to effectively deliver projects.
“No development institution executes its mandate without institutional capacity,” it said.
Yakubu further stated that the NEDC operates within established accountability structures, including the MTEF, annual Appropriation Acts, National Assembly oversight, quarterly budget performance reports and statutory audits.
While welcoming public scrutiny, the Budget Office urged commentators to engage responsibly with fiscal information, warning that misinformation undermines accountability.
“The claim that the NEDC exists merely to pay salaries is unfounded. It conflates technical budget presentation with actual expenditure intent and ignores project-level evidence contained in official documents,” the statement concluded.
