President Bola Tinubu has reduced the constituency project allocation for members of the House of Representatives from one billion naira to five hundred million naira each, citing funding challenges in the 2025 budget.
The revelation came from Honourable Yusuf Gagdi, a member of the House of Representatives representing Pankshin, Kanke, and Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State, who explained the budget adjustment in a video circulating on social media.
During the session with constituents, Gagdi provided clarification about how constituency project funds are managed, stating that federal lawmakers do not personally receive these funds.
“Our parliamentary order differs from that of the State Assembly because no federal legislator receives constituency project funds,” Gagdi clarified. “The only thing we receive is a ₦1billion envelope for constituency projects that is shared among all the legislators from a state.”
He elaborated on the distribution system, explaining that the allocation varies significantly depending on the number of federal lawmakers in each state.
“For instance, in Kano, the ₦1 billion envelope is shared among 27 legislators. In Plateau, we are only eight members, so each of us gets ₦125 million worth of projects,” he said. “As a legislator, I am required to bring projects that will be funded up to that amount.”
Gagdi emphasized that any additional development seen in constituencies typically results from lawmakers lobbying ministries and agencies for further interventions, separate from the constituency project allocation.
The lawmaker provided context about recent changes in the allocation amounts, noting significant increases before the current reduction.
“I have never received constituency projects worth more than ₦125 million until this year when the President increased the intervention from ₦125 million to ₦1 billion per House member,” he added. “Senators were allocated ₦2 billion worth of constituency projects each.”
Gagdi confirmed that despite the passage of the 2025 Appropriation Act, no capital project funds have been released to either the Executive or the National Assembly as of yet.
He detailed the specific moment when the budget constraints became apparent, leading to the presidential decision to reduce the allocations.
“It was only last week that Mr. President reached out to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, saying that the 2025 budget cannot be funded,” Gagdi stated. “Then Mr. President reduced our constituency intervention project from ₦1 billion to ₦500 million.”
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