National Honours Omitted: Senate Declares Ministry’s 5.2bn Budget Incomplete

The Senate Committee on Special Duties has rejected the 2026 budget proposal of the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, describing it as inadequate and incomplete, particularly for failing to provide funds for National Honours.

The rejection came during a heated budget defence session chaired by Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan (Borno Central), where lawmakers questioned the ministry’s funding structure and performance record.

Minister of Special Duties, Zephaniah Bitrus Jisalo, had just concluded his presentation when senators began raising concerns over what they described as a glaring disconnect between the ministry’s national mandate and its modest financial allocation.

Senator Abdul Ningi criticised what he called the “systematic suffocation” of the ministry through bureaucratic constraints and underfunding. He noted that while N5.2 billion was appropriated for the ministry in 2025, only N1.8 billion had been released.

“Is this ministry meant only to pay salaries?” Ningi queried. “Don’t they have responsibilities to carry out? Why should such an important ministry be treated this way? Bureaucracy in the Ministry of Special Duties has been used as camouflage. Not your fault,” he told the minister.

Drawing laughter from colleagues, Ningi added that some local government councils operate with larger budgets than the entire ministry. He claimed to have personally commissioned projects worth over N17 billion for a single council chairman in Delta State.

Committee Chairman Senator Lawan questioned whether the Federal Executive Council truly regarded the ministry as a strategic national institution or merely an appendage. He expressed concern that out of the N5.2 billion appropriated for 2025, only N1.8 billion was released.

The sharpest criticism, however, centred on the omission of funding for National Honours in the 2026 proposal despite presidential approval for a new batch of awardees.

Senator Onawo described the development as unacceptable, arguing that it would be embarrassing for deserving Nigerians to be denied their honours due to lack of funds to produce medals.

Responding, Minister Jisalo acknowledged the funding constraints and admitted that the ministry currently lacks the resources to produce the honours. He said the ministry was seeking the Senate’s support to address the shortfall.

Lawmakers were further alarmed to discover that of the N240 million released for capital expenditure in 2025, the ministry recorded zero expenditure, zero balance, and no project execution.

Following deliberations, the committee declared the 2026 proposal incomplete and unacceptable, directing the minister to liaise with the Budget Office of the Federation to properly capture allocations for National Honours.

Senator Lawan issued a Monday deadline for compliance, warning that failure to revise the proposal would result in the Budget Office being summoned before the Senate under its constitutional oversight powers.