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The civic transparency organisation, Tracka, has expressed concern over provisions in the Federal Government\'s proposed 2026 budget, revealing that nearly ₦963 billion has been earmarked for the purchase of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and empowerment programmes, an amount it says exceeds the combined allocations to seven key federal ministries.
According to the group\'s analysis of the 2026 Appropriation Bill, the Federal Government plans to spend ₦15.13 billion on the procurement of 39 SUVs, while ₦947.7 billion has been budgeted for 2,579 empowerment projects across the country. Together, the two expenditure items amount to ₦962.83 billion.
Tracka noted that the figure is higher than the combined ₦960.27 billion allocated to the Ministries of Trade and Investment, Housing, Women Affairs, Justice, Livestock Development, Aviation and Aerospace Development, and Petroleum.
Providing a breakdown, the organisation said the Ministry of Trade and Investment received ₦156.8 billion, Housing ₦145.3 billion, Women Affairs ₦169.39 billion, Justice ₦150.7 billion, Livestock Development ₦177.6 billion, Aviation and Aerospace Development ₦87.3 billion, and Petroleum ₦73.1 billion.
The organisation questioned the government\'s spending priorities, arguing that the allocation comes at a time when Nigeria faces significant economic challenges, including demands for improved housing, industrial growth and enhanced social welfare.
Tracka also raised concerns over the transparency of the proposed empowerment programmes, revealing that only 70 of the 2,579 projects have clearly identified implementation locations. It warned that the absence of location details for the remaining projects makes effective monitoring, verification and public accountability difficult.
The group further observed that the projects are distributed across 184 government agencies, many of which, it said, do not have statutory mandates to implement empowerment schemes. It highlighted several agencies handling large allocations, including one river basin authority linked to 393 projects worth ₦127.1 billion and the National Agricultural Development Fund overseeing six projects valued at ₦89.5 billion.
While acknowledging that well-designed empowerment initiatives can improve the livelihoods of vulnerable Nigerians, Tracka cautioned that poorly structured programmes often become channels for political patronage instead of delivering measurable benefits to citizens.
The organisation stressed that transparent beneficiary selection processes, clearly identified project locations and the involvement of legally mandated implementing agencies are essential to sustaining public confidence in such interventions.
With the 2026 budget expected to record a deficit of about 46 per cent, requiring significant borrowing to finance government expenditure, Tracka urged the Federal Government to ensure every budgeted naira is tied to projects that deliver verifiable value and measurable impact for Nigerians.
