Shehu queries ₦8.4bn road spend in Almajiri commission's 2026 budget
Public affairs commentator Mahdi Shehu has questioned the inclusion of ₦8.4 billion for road construction in Ekiti, Ogun and Katsina states within the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children's proposed ₦22.82 billion 2026 budget. Shehu made the allegation in a post on his verified X account Monday, arguing the allocations fall outside the commission's core mandate to address Almajiri and out-of-school children's issues.
He contended that provisions for solar installations, hospital ambulances and medical equipment similarly deviate from the commission's policy document, which he stated has 'nothing to do with road construction'. Shehu further alleged these budget lines resulted from 'fraudulent insertions' by politicians, describing them with strong expletives including [censored] terms meaning 'wicked, irresponsible, callous, treacherous and greedy'.
The commissioner's total approved 2026 budget stands at ₦22.82 billion, with the disputed road allocation representing over 36% of the total. Shehu maintains the commission's work should focus exclusively on educational and welfare interventions for vulnerable children rather than infrastructure projects typically handled by ministries of works or health.
Given the commission's mandate to serve Nigeria's most vulnerable children, does this budget allocation reflect genuine priority setting or warrant investigation into potential misappropriation of funds meant for Almajiri welfare?