Despite announcing plans to stop funding some professional bodies in 2023, the Federal Government has allocated over N36 billion to these agencies in the 2025 budget. This move contradicts its earlier directive that the bodies become self-funded by 2026.In June 2023, the government disclosed it would discontinue budgetary allocations to about 30 professional bodies based on recommendations from the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS).READ ALSO: FG Budgets N238bn for Only One Hospital Through Service Wide VoteA memo signed by Ben Akabueze, the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, stated that affected bodies would become fully self-funded and responsible for personnel, overhead and capital expenditures.“I wish to inform you that the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS) at its 13th meeting approved the discontinuation of budgetary allocation to Professional Bodies/Councils effective 31st December 2026,” the memo read.Reports confirmed that some of these 30 agencies would be funded up until 2026. For the rest, funding by the FG would cease effective December 2024.By 2024, a list of 26 councils was published by the Federal Government through the budget office. The list confirmed that funding cuts would begin that year, saving the country an estimated N27.72 billion.However, the 2025 budget shows that many of these bodies will receive significant government allocations. FIJ observed and compiled a list of the agencies that would still get funded below:Budget Allocations Chart.custom-chart-container {
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}Budget Allocations for Nigerian Professional Bodies (2025)ARCON₦2,074,351,330Community Health Practitioners Board₦833,557,413Dental Therapists Board₦578,390,341Dental Technology Board₦688,534,476Health Records Board₦1,327,046,676Chartered Chemists Institute₦531,763,302Forensic Lab Oshodi₦300,000,000Public Analysts Institute₦659,475,626Librarian Registration₦249,080,397Medical Lab Science Council₦1,320,334,478Nigeria Press Council₦1,288,825,680Rehabilitation Therapists₦949,683,716Nursing and Midwifery₦1,008,123,198Optometrists Board₦872,395,711Pharmacists Council₦1,921,363,395Radiographers Board₦1,000,142,948Medical and Dental Council₦18,108,074,101Total Allocation: ₦33,711,142,788Additionally, six agencies were grouped under a N500 million joint budget line labelled “Annual Provision for Professional Regulatory Bodies” which includes the Surveyors Registration Council of Nigeria, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) and others.READ ALSO: It’s Budget Presentation Season but Open Treasury Portal Remains InaccessibleIn total, these allocations will cost Nigeria N33,711,142,788 in 2025 alone, casting doubt on the government’s resolve to implement its cost-cutting measures.Meanwhile, some professional bodies have preemptively raised their fees to cope with anticipated funding cuts. For instance, FIJ reported how the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) increased the cost of obtaining a Certificate of Good Standing by 200% in 2024.President Bola Tinubu presented his administration’s proposed 47.9 trillion 2025 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly in December.The budget projects N34.8 trillion in revenue against total expenditures of N47.90 trillion, leaving a deficit of N13 trillion. Notably, debt servicing is expected to take N15.81 trillion.The post 2025 Budget: FG Allocates N36bn to Agencies It Vowed to Stop Funding in 2024 appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.
2025 Budget: FG Allocates N36bn to Agencies It Vowed to Stop Funding in 2024
