BudgIT, a civic-tech non-profit organisation, has revealed that the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) in Ibadan, Oyo, received N250 million for solar street lights in Lagos in the 2024 budget.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, BudgIT raised concerns over the institute’s allocation of funds for unrelated projects such as street lighting, a health centre, and the provision of motorcycles in various states including Lagos, Ondo, Rivers and Osun.

According to BudgIT, the institute is set to spend N100 million on motorcycles in Osun, N100 million on constructing a health centre in Ondo, and N200 million on classroom renovations in Rivers. The organisation argued that these allocations should not be part of the budget.

BudgIT detailed other questionable expenditures, including N148.7 million for training and empowerment in Ondo State; N100 million for a health centre in Ondo; N100 million for empowerment materials in Rivers State; and N200 million for empowerment in Kano.

Others are N200 million for classroom construction in Rivers State; N100 million for various empowerment materials in Osun; and N100 million for solar street lights in Lagos communities, including Mushin and Festac Town. Other unrelated projects by the Cocoa Research Institute can be found here (https://budgit.org/fg-budget-dashboard).

The organisation noted the inconsistency of such allocations with the mandate of the Cocoa Research Institute and called for a review.

The Guardian reports that ​​On March 10, Abdul Ningi, a senator representing Bauchi Central, alleged that the 2024 budget was padded with N3 trillion in the national assembly.

Ningi, the chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, said “huge damage” has been done to the north and the entire country in the budget.

However, two days later, Ningi was suspended for three months over the claim and was recalled on May 28.