By Bassey Udo
The allocation of the sum of ₦246.77 billion in the North East Development Commission (NEDC) budget is not for salaries alone, the Budget Office of the Federation has clarified.
The office, which waded into the allegation concerning the allocation said it categorically rejects reports that the NEDC operates a ₦246 billion “salaries budget.”
The Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, said the allegations were not only misleading and inaccurate, but rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s budgeting framework.
Tanimu said contrary to claims circulating in the public domain, the allocation of the sum of ₦246.77 billion in the Commission’s budget was a statutory lump-sum provision initially presented at an aggregate level, consistent with established budget preparation practices for statutory and quasi-statutory bodies under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).
He said the suggestion that ₦244 billion of the allocation was earmarked solely for personnel costs was s factually incorrect.
“During budget preparation, where agencies do not submit complete internal economic breakdowns at the point of upload, allocations may temporarily appear under the Personnel Cost heading as a technical placeholder,” he explained.
This technical presentation, he said, was a recognised procedural convention pending detailed submissions, legislative adjustments, and approved reallocations during budget execution, must not be confused with spending intent.
With respect to capital expenditure, the DG said the ₦2.70 billion cited in public commentaries reflected the National Assembly-approved rephrasing of capital votes in the 2025 budget, with approximately 70 percent rolled into the 2026 fiscal year.
This, he said, was a legislative decision regarding the timing and sequencing of appropriations and does not indicate a lack of development projects.
“Indeed, project schedules attached to the same budget documents show multiple ongoing interventions across the North East, including agricultural support programmes, food security initiatives, orphanage construction and rehabilitation, IDP camp reconstruction, boreholes, security logistics, and constituency-level development projects.
“Selective reading of a single budget line, while ignoring accompanying schedules is not analysis—it is a distortion,” he said..
He pointed out that personnel costs within a development Commission like the NEDC were neither unusual nor improper, adding that they fund engineers, procurement officers, project managers, monitoring and evaluation teams, and fiduciary oversight required to design, supervise, and deliver projects effectively.
“No development institution executes its mandate without institutional capacity.
“The NEDC operates within well-defined accountability frameworks, including the MTEF, annual Appropriation Acts, National Assembly oversight, quarterly budget performance reporting, and statutory audits. Genuine public scrutiny is welcome and encouraged, but it must be informed by an understanding of how the budget system works,” he said.
He described as unfounded the claim that the NEDC exists merely to pay salaries, saying such claims confuses technical budget presentation with actual expenditure intent, ignores legislative appropriation dynamics, and disregards project-level evidence already embedded in official documents.
Urging commentators and members of the public to engage responsibly with fiscal information, the Budget Office said misinformation does not serve accountability, while ignorance of the budget process should not be weaponised as public commentary.
