The National Assembly has once again come under scrutiny for alleged budget padding, this time involving the Federal College of Horticultural Technology, Dadin-Kowa, Gombe. According to reports by BudgIT Foundation, a civic tech organization promoting transparency and accountability, the college’s proposed 2024 budget of N368 million was inflated to an astonishing N42.7 billion by the lawmakers.
BudgIT disclosed that the budget padding added a staggering N42.332 billion to the institution’s proposal, marking an increase of over 5000%. This sharp deviation was highlighted in a social media post by the organization, which called on the National Assembly to prioritize integrity during the 2025 budget review process.
The Federal College of Horticultural Technology, located in the Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State, is a research institution under the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria. It is mandated to provide training and award diplomas in Horticultural and Landscaping Technology. However, the inflated budget includes projects that fall outside the institution’s constitutional jurisdiction.
Among the controversial additions are 12 projects worth billions of naira, many of which are unrelated to the collegeâs core mission. These projects include the supply and installation of solar-powered street lights, construction of boreholes, distribution of motorcycles, and other initiatives spread across various states, including Osun, Edo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Oyo, Lagos, and Kogi.
Specifically, N1.6 billion was allocated for solar street lights in federal constituencies across multiple states, while N1.5 billion was earmarked for constructing classrooms, boreholes, and installing transformers. Additionally, N1 billion each was allocated for solar-powered boreholes in selected states, supply of mini-buses in certain areas, and construction/rehabilitation of community schools in the Southwest.
Other allocations include N600 million for solar-powered street lights in rural farming communities in K. Kusar/Shani federal constituency, N500 million for street lights in Bassa, Kogi State, and another N500 million for tricycles to aid mass transportation in Lagos. Projects in Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, and Borno states were also listed, with allocations ranging from N495.9 million to N200 million.
These additions raise concerns about the integrity of the budgetary process and whether public funds are being channeled to projects aligned with institutional mandates.
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