The Budget Office of the Federation has dismissed claims that the North East Development Commission (NEDC) operates a ₦246 billion salaries budget, describing the allegation as misleading and based on a poor understanding of Nigeria’s budgeting framework.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Director General of the Budget Office, Mr. Tanimu Yakubu, disclosed the ₦246.77 billion allocation reflected against the NEDC in the federal budget is not dedicated to personnel costs alone but represents a statutory lump-sum provision in line with established budget preparation practices.
According to the Budget Office, such aggregate figures are common for statutory and quasi-statutory agencies under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), particularly at early stages of budget presentation.
“The suggestion that ₦244 billion of this allocation is earmarked solely for salaries is factually incorrect,” the statement said.
The Office explained that where agencies have not submitted full internal economic breakdowns at the point of budget upload, 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 adjustments and approved reallocations during budget execution.
It stressed that this technical presentation should not be mistaken for actual spending intent.
Addressing concerns about capital expenditure, the Budget Office clarified that the ₦2.70 billion figure cited by some commentators reflects a National Assembly approved restructuring of capital votes in the 2025 budget, with about 70 per cent of those funds rolled into the 2026 fiscal year.
“This was a legislative decision on the timing and sequencing of appropriations and does not suggest an absence of development projects,” the statement said.
The Budget Office pointed out that project schedules attached to the same budget documents indicate several ongoing interventions across the North East. These include agricultural support programmes, food security initiatives, construction and rehabilitation of orphanages, reconstruction of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, provision of boreholes, security logistics, and constituency-level development projects.
It warned against what it described as selective interpretation of budget figures, noting that isolating a single budget line without reference to accompanying schedules amounts to distortion rather than analysis.
The statement also defended personnel costs within development commissions, explaining that such expenditures cover engineers, procurement officers, project managers, monitoring and evaluation teams, and other professionals essential for project delivery and oversight.
“No development institution can execute its mandate without institutional capacity,” it said.
Reaffirming the accountability mechanisms governing the NEDC, the Budget Office said the Commission operates under the MTEF, annual Appropriation Acts, National Assembly oversight, quarterly budget performance reporting and statutory audits.
While welcoming public scrutiny, the Office urged commentators to engage responsibly with fiscal information.
“Misinformation does not serve accountability, and ignorance of the budget process should not be weaponised as public commentary,” the statement concluded.