Senate rejects Special Duties ministry’s 2026 budget over National Honours
By Comfort Chukwukelue
THE Senate Committee on Special Duties has rejected the 2026 budget proposal of the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, citing gross underfunding and the “unacceptable” omission of allocations for National Honours.
The decision was reached during a tense budget defence session chaired by Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan (APC, Borno Central), where lawmakers expressed displeasure over the ministry’s financial projections.
Trouble started shortly after the Minister of Special Duties, Zephaniah Bitrus Jisalo, concluded his presentation. Senators questioned the wide disparity between the ministry’s national mandate and its lean funding. Records showed that while N5.2 billion was appropriated for the ministry in 2025, only N1.8 billion was actually released.
Reacting to the presentation, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) slammed what he described as the systematic weakening of the ministry through bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Ningi asked: “Is this ministry only meant to pay salaries? Don’t they have a job to do? Some local government councils even operate with larger budgets than this federal ministry.”
Corroborating this, the Committee Chairman, Senator Lawan, questioned if the Federal Executive Council (FEC) considered the ministry a priority, noting the abysmal release of funds despite its nationwide obligations.
The session took a more critical turn when it was discovered that the 2026 proposal contained no funding for National Honours, despite presidential approval for a new list of awardees.
Senator Onawo faulted the ministry for failing to provide for the production of medals, insisting that National Honours remain a core statutory responsibility that cannot be ignored.
In his response, Minister Jisalo admitted to severe funding constraints, stating that the ministry had sought legislative intervention to bridge the gap.
However, the committee was further irked to learn that out of the N240 million released for capital projects in 2025, the ministry recorded zero expenditure and zero execution.
Ruling on the matter, Senator Lawan declared the 2026 budget submission incomplete. He directed the minister to return to the Budget Office of the Federation to ensure the National Honours allocation is captured in a revised proposal.
Lawan warned that failure to comply by Monday would compel the Senate to summon officials of the Budget Office under its constitutional oversight powers.
