House leadership and senior legislators explained that President Bola Tinubu’s revision of the constituency project allocation from N1 billion to N500 million per lawmaker was driven by fiscal prudence and the need for more equitable national development, Rep. Benjamin Kalu Gagdi (Hon. Gagdi) told reporters.
Gagdi said the reduction was aimed at widening the reach of federal resources to more communities while ensuring projects are realistic, implementable and less susceptible to corruption or abandonment. He noted that smaller, well-monitored projects can deliver tangible benefits faster than fewer, large-scale interventions that often stall.
The move comes amid intense scrutiny of public spending and demands from civil society for improved budget transparency. Lawmakers supporting the revision argued that the aggregate national impact of more distributed allocations would be greater — provided robust oversight mechanisms are enforced. The House also pledged enhanced monitoring and a stricter project-verification regime to prevent diversion of funds.
