President Tinubu signing the 2025 Appropriation Bill into law.
The Network for Enhanced Governance and Development (NEFGAD) has petitioned President Bola Tinubu and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) over the alleged inclusion of projects worth N6.9 trillion in the 2025 budget without proper needs assessment.
In a letter addressed to the president signed by Akingunola Omoniyi, the group’s country head, NEFGAD, a public procurement advocacy group, alleged that over 11,000 projects were inserted by the national assembly, many of which “fall outside the statutory mandates of the implementing agencies”.
The organisation described the development as a violation of Nigeria’s procurement laws, warning that it could derail fiscal discipline and development priorities.
“These projects were not subjected to any credible needs assessment. Public funds must be spent based on real needs—not political convenience,” NEFGAD said.
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The group cited section 18 of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007, which mandates all procuring entities to conduct a needs assessment and cost evaluation before project planning.
“Implementing projects without such critical element contravenes the law and undermines principles of fiscal prudence, accountability, and strategic planning,” the group said.
It also raised concern over what it called a growing pattern of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) implementing projects that fall outside their legal responsibilities.
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“This has become a recurring problem that fuels duplication, weakens institutional clarity, and leads to policy incoherence,” NEFGAD added.
The group accused the national assembly of undermining the very law it passed by inserting constituency projects without consulting procurement planning committees of the relevant MDAs, as required by section 20(1) of the PPA.
The procurement advocacy group called on Tinubu and the BPP to direct all MDAs to stop executing projects that lack the mandatory planning framework or are outside their legal scope.
The group said it is prepared to take legal action against any procurement activity that violates the Procurement Act, or the constitutional roles of the agencies involved.
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This is an AI-assisted report
