An investigation by THE WHISTLER has uncovered that five academic institutions with limited statutory mandates were allocated a combined N565.73 billion for 1,647 unrelated projects in the 2026 budget, with a National Assembly source alleging the funds are used to warehouse padded allocations for lawmakers.
An exclusive data-driven analysis of the 2026 Appropriation Act by THE WHISTLER has uncovered a massive budget-offloading scheme whereby five relatively small academic institutions and research centres were allocated a combined N565.73 billion for projects bearing little or no relationship to their statutory mandates.
By analysing all 95,630 line items in the 2,604-page Appropriation Act, THE WHISTLER found that the institutions, which ordinarily train students and conduct research, have instead become major channels for constituency projects ranging from erosion control to hospital electrification, solar streetlights and empowerment programmes, totalling 1,647 flagged capital projects.
According to The Whistler, the largest beneficiary, Federal Co-operative College, Oji River, Enugu State, alone accounts for 705 projects worth N261.52 billion. The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute followed with 391 projects worth N122.35 billion, while the Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin-Kowa, Gombe State, received 328 projects worth N85.72 billion. The Federal Co-operative College, Ibadan, and the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, received 147 and 76 projects respectively.
A page-by-page review revealed the Oji River college alone was allocated N1.5 billion for erosion control, N400 million for solar streetlights, N400 million for youth empowerment, and N350 million for hospital mini-grid solar systems — all on a single page.
Budget analysts said mainstream ministries face stricter procurement oversight, making smaller colleges attractive channels for politically inserted projects that attract less scrutiny when split into smaller allocations.
Efforts to reach Senate Committee on Appropriations Chairman, Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola, for comment were unsuccessful.
However, a National Assembly source alleged the Oji River college has long served as a conduit for padded allocations. “The Cooperative College in Oji River is a notorious haven for warehousing funds for lawmakers from different parts of the country,” the source said, alleging that officials execute contracts on lawmakers’ behalf while deducting administrative cuts, a practice the source claimed has persisted across previous budget cycles.
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