Wed Sep 25 07:53:22 UTC 2024: ## Advocacy Group Warns Ministries Against Budgetary Overreach Ahead of 2025 Budget

**Abuja, Nigeria** – As the government prepares for the 2025 budget, the Network for the Actualization of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD) has issued a stern warning to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to refrain from budgeting and executing projects outside their designated mandates.

In a position paper addressed to President Bola Tinubu, NEFGAD argued that such actions by MDAs constitute a direct violation of the Nigerian Constitution and the Public Procurement Act.

The group cited specific examples of questionable procurement practices, such as space research agencies budgeting for traditional palace construction or women’s affairs ministries allocating funds for highway projects.

NEFGAD pointed out that these practices not only misallocate public funds but also hinder the government’s ability to achieve its development goals. The group stressed the need for a more principled and coordinated approach to procurement, emphasizing that “no nation develops under this kind of unprincipled and uncoordinated procurement and fiscal environment.”

The advocacy group further urged President Tinubu to investigate and sanction any MDAs found to have breached their establishment mandates during procurement proceedings.

NEFGAD’s warning comes as the Nigerian government is seeking to raise funds for ambitious infrastructure projects under President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda”. The advocacy group believes that such unchecked procurement practices could undermine the president’s efforts to drive economic growth and development.

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