The Federal Government has earmarked approximately N206.50 billion for poverty alleviation-related projects in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, representing less than one per cent of the proposed N58.47 trillion total spending.
Okay News reports that a review of project-level data shows this amount accounts for about 0.35 per cent of overall federal expenditure and roughly 0.89 per cent of the N23.21 trillion capital budget.
The bulk of the allocation—N200 billion—comes from the Service Wide Vote under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), including N100 billion for NPRGS upscaling (NSIP) and another N100 billion recurrent allocation.
Without these central provisions, all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) combined account for only N6.50 billion in poverty-tagged projects.
Key MDA allocations include:
- Federal Co-operative College, Ibadan: N2.87 billion for tricycles and motorcycles across geopolitical zones.
- Centre for Management Development: N840 million for SME empowerment.
- Board for Technology Business Incubator Centre, Abuja: N700 million for technology-based empowerment in Zamfara West.
- Nigeria Stored Products Research, Ilorin: N507.5 million for grain supplies in Edo and North Central regions.
- Federal Co-operative College, Oji River: N364 million for grains and empowerment in Edo.
Other notable items: NALDA allocates N350 million for churches, mosques, and religious support in Gombe; NASRDA budgets N2.1 billion for lighting in Ogun, N1.12 billion for student grants in Singapore, and N350 million for fertiliser in Taraba.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation’s budget rose sharply to N23.56 billion (from N7.10 billion in 2025), driven by capital spending, though many projects are administrative or unrelated to direct poverty alleviation.
The World Bank’s report on social safety nets notes Nigeria spends only 0.14 per cent of GDP on social protection—far below the global average of 1.5 per cent and Sub-Saharan Africa’s 1.1 per cent—with limited impact on poverty.
PwC’s Nigeria Economic Outlook 2026 projects the poverty rate rising to 62 per cent (141 million people) by 2026, driven by weak income growth and persistent inflation.
The World Bank’s Nigeria Development Update estimates 139 million Nigerians (62 per cent) now live below the poverty line, up from 81 million in 2019.
Analysts warn that vague headings, mandate misalignments, and duplicated spending risk inefficiency, leakages, and diluted impact.
