By Progress Godfrey
ABUJA — The Budget Office of the Federation, BOF, has dismissed claims that the North East Development Commission, NEDC, runs a N246.77 billion salaries budget, describing the narrative as false and misleading.
The Budget Office stated that the N246.77 billion assigned to the NEDC is a consolidated statutory provision shown at an overall level under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, and is not solely a personnel budget.
In a statement, yesterday by its Director-General, Tanimu Yakubu, the Budget Office said the allegation reflected a poor understanding of the Federal Government’s budgeting process.
It described claims that the commission exists only to pay salaries as unfounded and misleading, urging commentators to engage fiscal information responsibly as misinformation undermines accountability.
It debunked claims that N244 billion was earmarked strictly for personnel costs as incorrect, noting that during budget preparation, incomplete breakdowns can temporarily cause figures to appear under personnel cost headings as technical placeholders.
“The Budget Office of the Federation categorically rejects recent claims alleging that the NEDC operates a N246 billion ‘salaries budget.’ This assertion is misleading, inaccurate, and rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s budgeting framework.
“Contrary to claims circulating in the public domain, the N246.77 billion reflected against the NEDC in the budget is not a salaries-only allocation. It is 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 MTEF,” the BOF explained.
The Office further clarified that the N2.70 billion capital expenditure cited by commentators resulted from a National Assembly decision that deferred about 70 percent of capital votes to the 2026 fiscal year.
The Budget Office stated that the adjustment was a legislative decision regarding appropriation timing and does not signal a lack of projects, emphasising that budget documents demonstrate ongoing interventions across the North East.
The office stressed that focusing on a single budget line while ignoring project schedules is misleading.
“Personnel costs within a development commission are neither unusual nor improper. 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 Budget Office noted.
It stressed that the NEDC is subject to established accountability mechanisms, including the MTEF, annual Appropriation Acts, National Assembly oversight, quarterly performance reports and statutory audits, adding that public scrutiny is welcome but must be based on a proper understanding of the budget process.
The Office described claims that the commission exists only to pay salaries as unfounded and misleading, urging commentators to engage fiscal information responsibly, warning that misinformation undermines accountability and misrepresents how government budgets work.
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