An investigative report by public accountability group Tracka has revealed that a substantial budget allocation of N100 million in Kebbi State was used to empower only 60 individuals in the Kebbi South senatorial district. The initiative provided sewing machines and grinding machines to the beneficiaries, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the empowerment program.
Tracka disclosed that the funds, earmarked under the 2024 Federal Government Budget, aimed to support less privileged youth in Kebbi South. However, the project’s reach was limited.
According to a post shared by Tracka on X (formerly Twitter), “N100 million was allocated to the Youths Empowerment for Less Privileged in Kebbi South Senatorial District, Kebbi State, in the 2024 FG Budget. We tracked and report that sewing machines and grinding machines were given to 60 people in Kebbi South Senatorial District—30 each from the Zuru and Yauri emirates.”
Educational Empowerment Allocation Falls Short
In another related development, N100 million was allocated for educational empowerment targeting students and youth in the same senatorial district. Tracka reported that financial grants were distributed to 1,291 students across Yauri and Zuru emirates. Each student received N35,000, amounting to a total disbursement of N45.1 million, leaving questions about the remaining N54.9 million from the allocated funds.
“N100 million was allocated to the Students and Youth Educational Empowerment for Yauri Emirate and Zuru Emirate, Kebbi South Senatorial District, Kebbi State, in the 2024 FG Budget,” Tracka noted in another post. “We tracked and report that a financial grant of N35,000 was awarded to each UG1 student across seven universities in September 2024.”
Beneficiary Institutions
The report listed the universities whose students benefited from the grant. These include the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), Federal University of Agriculture Zuru (FUAZ), Federal University of Birnin-Kebbi (FUBK), Kebbi State University of Science and Technology (KSUSTA), and Bayero University Kano (BUK).
While the empowerment initiatives were commendable, the apparent mismanagement and underutilization of the allocated funds have sparked calls for greater transparency and accountability in government spending.
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