Tracka exposes N30.15bn budget for palaces, churches, mosques via unrelated agencies

Tracka, a BudgIT Foundation initiative, has revealed that the 2026 budget allocates N30.15 billion for palace renovations and religious projects, routed through unrelated agencies such as research institutes and agricultural colleges that lack the statutory mandate to execute them.

Questions have trailed the allocation of N30.15 billion in the 2026 budget for the construction, renovation and furnishing of palaces and execution of some religious-related projects across the country.

A document released by Tracka, an initiative of the BudgIT Foundation, revealed that N22.15 billion was earmarked for renovation and furnishing of 106 palaces nationwide, while N8 billion was budgeted for church- and mosque-related projects.

Daily Trust reports that the huge allocations, coming at a time when health and education sectors are begging for attention, have raised concerns over government spending amid a N31.45 trillion budget deficit and rising debt obligations.

Tracka’s review showed N1.91 billion was allocated to seven church-related projects, while N6.14 billion was set aside for 52 mosque projects, covering worship centre construction, solar power installations, boreholes, musical equipment, imam residences and Islamiyya school facilities. Notable allocations include N1 billion for musical and cultural equipment for churches in Abia State, and N1 billion for solar installations at mosques in Zamfara State.

An extensive review of the budget document exposed accountability loopholes, showing that 11 palace projects worth N5.85 billion have no identified physical locations, making public tracking impossible. None of the 45 MDAs saddled with executing the palace projects possess the legal mandate to construct royal structures, with billions routed through research institutes, agricultural colleges and specialised health facilities instead.

Among the allocations, the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, was tasked with N2.661 billion for palace renovations, while the Sheda Science and Technology Complex received N1.54 billion for palace modernisation. The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute was allocated N3.92 billion across multiple palace projects, and the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria was designated N750 million for palaces in Kogi State.

Other agencies assigned palace-related projects include the National Horticultural Research Institute, the Nigeria Stored Products Research Institute, the Border Communities Development Agency, and NOSDRA, among dozens of others, cutting across nearly every geopolitical zone.