‘The President allows it’ – Falana hits Tinubu over alleged N1.4bn budget padding

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has accused President Bola Tinubu of enabling budget padding by the National Assembly, citing the alleged insertion of a N1.4 billion road project in Ogun State into the budget of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, NCAOOSCE.

Recall that NCAOOSCE is facing scrutiny over the allocation of ₦8.4 billion for road infrastructure projects in Ogun, Ekiti, and Katsina states, which are outside its educational mandate.

The commission denied responsibility for the development, blaming the National Assembly for inserting the “off-mandate” constituency projects into its 2026 budget.

Falana, who spoke at the Penpushing Media 8th Anniversary Lecture held on Thursday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, described the development as a clear case of illegal insertions by federal lawmakers.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria called for an immediate re-examination of the budget to expunge the illegal projects.

“It was recently disclosed that a road in Ogun State will be constructed with a sum of 1.4 billion Naira. And that is what we call budget padding. Members of the National Assembly insert projects into the budget of agencies of government,” Falana said.

“Now that it has been exposed I hope there will be a re-examination and review of the budget. They were illegally inserted into the budget.”

He lamented that despite repeated exposures, the practice continues because the President fails to veto the illegal insertions, saying “We have always tried to expose them. But it appears that the President of the country allows it because, the President has the right to object to illegal insertions into the budget. But these days, they are allowed by the President.”

The senior lawyer also raised concerns over unchecked corruption at the federal level, questioning how an individual could amass several buildings without detection due to weak institutions.

“Once you have a system that is loose, and at that time it was a free for all, there were no checks and balances and it’s still likely going on. It is when the current government is out of power that you will also know the enormity of the looting that has occurred,” he warned.

Falana urged Nigerians to take action against graft by reporting suspicious wealth to anti-graft agencies, opining that reforming the country requires collective action by citizens and the media to hold leaders accountable at all levels.

“If you know that somebody is building houses beyond his means, you have the right to even secretly report to the EFCC or ICPC and then pursue it. That’s the only way to stop it,” he charged.

Earlier in his welcome address, the founder of Penpushing Media, Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, said partnership with the media would strengthen responsible journalism,  reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to ethical reporting and the fight against fake news.

Also speaking, chairman of the occasion and former Deputy Governor of the CBN, Tunde Lemo, said credible elections in 2027 must be anchored on internal party discipline and strict adherence to democratic principles.  

In his goodwill message, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, emphasised that electoral integrity depends largely on active citizen participation and ensuring that every vote counts.

‘The President allows it’ – Falana hits Tinubu over alleged N1.4bn budget padding