Gagdi Laments Tinubu's Non-Release Of Capital Funds For Lawmakers

 House Of Reps Member Gagdi Laments Tinubu's Non-Release Of Capital Funds For Lawmakers Despite Subsidy Savings, Several Loans

A Member of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Gagdi, representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State, has expressed deep concern over the Nigerian government’s failure to release any funds for capital projects in the 2025 fiscal year, barely two months before the year ends.

Speaking during a town hall meeting with his constituents in Plateau State, Gagdi lamented that not a single kobo had been released for capital projects since the passage of the 2025 Appropriation Act last December.

He explained that although President Bola Tinubu had initially approved an intervention of ₦1billion worth of constituency projects for each member of the House of Representatives, the allocation had recently been cut by half due to funding challenges.

"Our legislators are here, and we have pecularity. There is no federal lawmaker in Abuja who is directly given constituency funds in cash. Instead, in each state, lawmakers are allocated an envelope worth ₦1 billion to propose project ideas.

"For instance, in Kano, the ₦1 billion envelope is shared among all 27 federal lawmakers from the state for constituency projects," Gagdi said.

The lawmaker clarified that contrary to public perception, no federal lawmaker in Abuja receives constituency project funds in cash. Rather, each is allocated an envelope for project proposals worth a specified amount, depending on the number of lawmakers from their state.

"In Plateau, for example, we have eight federal lawmakers. If ₦1 billion is shared among them, each lawmaker will receive ₦125 million for constituency projects. As a legislator, I am required to submit project proposals worth ₦125 million, and the same applies to Hon. Maje and others.

"However, in states with a higher number of legislators, such as Kano, the individual allocation is smaller — each lawmaker may receive between ₦25 million and ₦30 million for projects. When this intervention is released, it is used to fund constituency projects. Any additional projects seen within the constituency are usually the result of lobbying for more funding and interventions."

Gagdi stressed that the delayed release of funds has stalled development projects across the country, leaving both legislators and citizens frustrated.

"Secondly, I have never received constituency project funds exceeding ₦125 million until this year. What happened this year was that when the President presented the budget proposal to the House of Representatives for consideration, he increased the intervention allocation for each member of the House from ₦125million to ₦1billion worth of constituency projects. Senators also received ₦2billion each for constituency projects.

"Now, here’s what happened: since the passage of the 2025 Appropriation Act last December, no capital project funds have been released to either the Executive or the Legislature, even though there are only two months left before the end of the 2025 fiscal year.

"For me and all other federal lawmakers in the state, we have not received any constituency project funds yet. It was only last week that the President informed the Speaker of the House of Representatives that the 2025 budget could not be fully funded. Consequently, the President reduced our constituency intervention allocation from ₦1 billion to ₦500 million," the lawmaker added.

Meanwhile, Nigerians have continued to question the whereabouts of the country’s reported excess revenue, subsidy savings, and loans acquired by the federal government, demanding transparency and accountability in public finance management.

Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that President Bola Tinubu requested the approval of the Senate for a fresh domestic borrowing of ₦1.15trillion to finance the deficit component of the 2025 national budget.

The President’s request was conveyed in an official letter read during Tuesday’s plenary session by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

In the correspondence, Tinubu explained that the proposed loan was necessary to bridge the funding gap in the 2025 fiscal plan and ensure the smooth execution of critical government programmes and projects.

According to the letter, the administration intends to source the loan from the domestic debt market.

After the letter was read, Senate President Akpabio referred the request to the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wammako (APC, Sokoto North).

The committee was directed to review the proposal and present its report within one week for further legislative consideration.