The Federal Ministry of Works has proposed to spend more than ₦500 million on a range of empowerment and sensitisation programmes, including the training of hairdressers and make-up artists, the supply of grinding machines, motorcycles, mini-vans, and anti-drug abuse campaigns across selected states. Details of the proposed expenditures are contained in the 2026 Appropriation Bill uploaded on the Budget Office website and accessed on Thursday, with the items spread across different geopolitical zones of the country.
According to the budget document, the ministry plans to spend ₦35 million under budget code ERGP 12234747 on the supply of grinding machines to women in Ndokwa/Ukwani Federal Constituency in the South-South. Another ₦35 million is earmarked for the training and empowerment of women in hairdressing, make-up, and soap making in Mikang/Shandam/Qua’an Pan Federal Constituency of Plateau State in the North-Central zone. The ministry also proposed ₦70 million for the training and empowerment of youths, women, and seven retirees in various skills, alongside the provision of trade equipment, in the Inyamaltu/Deba area of Gombe State in the North-East.
In addition, the budget includes ₦70 million for the supply of mini pick-up vans, mini shuttle buses, and motorcycles to constituents in Abakaliki Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, in the South-East. Another proposal covers training, sensitisation, advocacy, and empowerment of North-Central youths against drug abuse in Zamfara State, which is geographically located in the North-West, among several similar constituency-based projects. The proposed allocations have raised questions over the inclusion of such empowerment and social intervention projects in the budget of the Federal Ministry of Works.