The Nigerian National Assembly has approved N9.887billion for the purchase and distribution of tractors, vehicles, buses, tricycles, motorcycles, and fishing boats for traditional rulers and other beneficiaries under the 2026 budget of the Federal Co-operative College, Oji River, Enugu State, despite such projects being outside its legal mandate as an academic institution.
The projects, which are constituency-style interventions, include vehicles for traditional rulers, motorcycles for youths, tricycles for youths and women, buses for farmers, boats for fishermen and security vehicles for farming communities across several states.
The allocations are contained in the 2,790-page 2026 Appropriation Act obtained by SaharaReporters from the Budget Office of the Federation.
A review of pages 731 to 761 of the budget document showed that the projects were inserted under the capital expenditure of the Federal Co-operative College, Oji River, Enugu State, despite the institution’s core mandate being focused on academic and professional training in cooperative education and management.
Checks by SaharaReporters on the official website of the Federal Co-operative College, Oji River, showed that there is no provision empowering the institution to execute nationwide transportation empowerment projects or public infrastructure contracts in or across communities or cities.
The college received a total allocation of N226,774,286,482 in the 2026 budget, with N225,632,456,036 earmarked for capital expenditure.
Of the capital allocation, N9,887,500,000 is allocated to dozens of projects spread across virtually all geopolitical zones of Nigeria, stretching from Bayelsa to Kebbi, Lagos to Ebonyi, Rivers to Kwara, Ogun to Imo, and virtually every region of the country.
One of the largest allocations is N2.1 billion for the “purchase/provision of utility vehicles and other vehicles to assist some farmers, farmers guard and some distribution agents in agric chain distribution in Nigeria with multiple lots.”
Another N630million was allocated for the “provision/supply of security vehicles to enhance security patrol in some selected farming communities in South-South states,” while another N630million was allocated for the procurement and distribution of boat outboard engines to youths in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta South Senatorial District.
The budget also provides N350 million for empowerment of youths, women and men in Owan, Edo State, involving sewing machines, motorcycles, refrigerators, grinding machines, freezers, generators and other items.
A separate N350 million was allocated for enhancing the livelihood of youths through motorcycles in selected communities in Akko Federal Constituency, Gombe State.
Also receiving N350 million is a project for the procurement and supply of fairly used and brand-new vehicles for transportation programmes in Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituency, Ogun State.
Another N350 million was budgeted for the provision of an ambulance, generator and medical equipment at the Intensive Care Unit and Amenities Centre in Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State.
The college’s budget further contains N350 million for the supply of CNG minibuses for the empowerment of youths in Enugu State.
For Delta South Senatorial District, the National Assembly approved several transportation and empowerment projects, including N140 million for farmers’ tricycles for women and youths, N140 million for motorcycles, N140 million for motor cars and N140 million for fishermen’s boats.
In another striking allocation, N210 million was allocated for mini pickups and minibuses for transportation of agricultural produce in Oshodi/Isolo II, Lagos State.
A further N70 million was allocated for tricycles and minibuses for youth and women empowerment at Okota in Oshodi II, Lagos.
The National Assembly also approved N70 million for vehicles to be provided to traditional rulers “to enable them function well in some selected clans” in the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency of the Federal Capital Territory.
The allocation for traditional rulers is among the clearest examples of how projects ordinarily associated with lawmakers’ constituency interventions have been placed under the budget of an academic institution.
In Kebbi State, N70 million was allocated for the supply of motorcycle machines to Arewa Local Government Area in the Kebbi North Senatorial District, while another N35 million was approved for the purchase and distribution of motorcycles for Argungu and Arewa local governments.
A further N56 million is budgeted for motorcycles for youths in Arewa Local Government Area, while Kebbi’s Yauri Local Government Area was also listed for N70 million worth of “Keke NAPEP” project.
Also, N115.5 million was allocated for one Toyota Hilux van, motorcycles and tricycles for outreach, sensitisation and logistics to facilitators working on nomadic and out-of-school children’s education in selected local government areas of Sokoto State.
Sokoto also received N70 million for motorcycles for youth empowerment in Illela/Gwadabawa Federal Constituency under the college’s 2026 budget.
In Katsina, N175 million was allocated under the college’s 2026 approved budget for the provision and distribution of motorcycles in the Katsina Central Senatorial District.
Another N10.5 million was provided for motorcycles to Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State.
The North-West region also received N280 million for empowerment items, including motorcycles, tricycles, cargo tricycles, grinding machines and block-moulding machines in selected locations under the 2026 budget of the Federal Co-Operative College, Oji River, Enugu State.
Also, N280 million was allocated for motorcycles, sewing machines, grinding machines and startup grants for youths in various communities in the North-West geopolitical zone.
The South-East also features heavily in the allocations, with N14 million allocated for tricycles and motorcycles in Idemili North and South Federal Constituency of Anambra State, while N105 million was allocated for a Toyota Hilux for community service in Umuoba Anam, Anambra East Senatorial District.
Another N175 million was approved for refrigerators, grains, motorcycles and grants for youths in Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Okpoko and other locations in Anambra.
In Ebonyi State, N105 million was budgeted for minibuses and refrigerators in Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency.
Another N35 million was allocated for motorcycles and tricycles for youths in Ebonyi/Ohaukwu Federal Constituency, while N70 million was provided for cargo tricycles and motorcycles for rural farmers to evacuate agricultural products from farms in Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency.
In Abia State, N140 million was provided for sewing and grinding machines and tricycles for women and youths in Aba North and South Federal Constituency.
Another N140 million was allocated for mini buses and tricycle trucks for farmers in rural areas of the same constituency.
Also, N35 million was budgeted for motorcycles in Aba North and South, while N140 million was also allocated for tricycles and agro-business materials to empower women and youths in Arochukwu and Ohafia local government areas.
In Enugu State, N7 million was budgeted for the procurement and distribution of tricycles for youths in Ezeagu/Udi Local Government Area, while N350 million was allocated for the purchase and distribution of CNG minibuses for youths in the state.
In Imo State, N140 million was budgeted for vehicles, bikes and agricultural inputs as constituency empowerment in Owerri Federal Constituency.
Delta State has a number of separate allocations, including N140 million for farmers’ tricycles, N140 million for motorcycles, N140 million for motor cars and N140 million for fishing boats in Delta South Senatorial District.
The state also received the N630 million budget allocation for boat outboard engines in Warri North under the college’s 2026 budget.
In Bayelsa State, N105 million was allocated for a fishing boat for the Dolphin Fishermen Association in Korokorosei Community, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa Central Senatorial District.
In Rivers State, N70 million was budgeted for the supply of tricycles to Ahoada East and West local government areas, while N105 million was allocated for motorcycles for members of Anka/Talata Mafara Federal Constituency of Zamfara State.
In Akwa Ibom, N175 million was allocated for tricycles for selected youths in the North-East Senatorial District, while another N105 million was budgeted for motorcycles for selected youths in the same district.
Cross River North Senatorial District received N84 million for the purchase and supply of motorcycles for youths, while N70 million was allocated for a tractor to boost agricultural production in Ilorin East/South Federal Constituency of Kwara State.
The college’s budget also contains N70 million for means of transportation in Esan West/Esan Central/Igueben Federal Constituency of Edo State.
For physically challenged persons in Ika Federal Constituency of Delta State, N56 million was allocated for motorcycles and other empowerment materials under the Federal Co-Operative College, Oji River, Enugu State 2026 budget.
There was also N105 million allocated for tricycles and minibuses for unemployed youths in the constituency.
In Lagos, N14 million was provided as operational support for service minibuses for police stations in Oshodi-Isolo II.
The Federal Co-operative College is also listed as the implementing agency for a N630 million security vehicle programme covering selected farming communities in South-South states.
The proliferation of such projects under the college’s budget raises questions over why an academic institution in Enugu State has been designated as the implementing agency for projects involving transportation, political-style empowerment, agricultural logistics, security patrol vehicles and distribution of personal-use equipment in communities hundreds of kilometres away from the college, principally established to provide academic and professional education and training in cooperative studies and management.
The pattern is consistent with the controversial practice of embedding constituency projects in the budgets of ministries, departments and agencies whose statutory mandates have little or no connection with the projects.
This reinforces a pattern SaharaReporters has repeatedly exposed over the years in which lawmakers insert numerous constituency projects into the budgets of ministries, departments, agencies and tertiary institutions that neither possess the statutory mandate nor the technical capacity to execute them.
Rather than being clearly presented under individual lawmakers’ constituency allocations, the projects are listed as capital projects of the Federal Co-operative College, making it difficult for members of the public to immediately identify the lawmakers responsible for sponsoring the projects, while leaving an academic institution to serve as the nominal implementing agency.
With N225.6 billion earmarked as capital expenditure for the college, the N9.887 billion constituency-style allocation represents a substantial pool of funds for projects that largely disconnect from its educational mandate.
(SaharaReporters)