By Kingston Magare 15.1.2026
Most Nigerian roads are in bad shape and needing repairs, yet the Federal Ministry of Works is budgeting N500 million to empower hairdressers, make-up artists, distribute grinding machines, motorcycles, mini-vans, and conduct anti-drug abuse awareness campaigns across selected states in Nigeria.
This spending is contained in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, which was uploaded on the Budget Office’s website and accessed on Thursday.
According to the document, under budget item code ERGP 12234747, the ministry intends to spend N35 million on providing an unspecified number of grinding machines to women in Ndokwa/Ukwani Federal Constituency, located in the South-South zone.
Similarly, another N35 million has been set aside to train and empower women in hairdressing, make-up, and soap production in Mikang/Shandam/Qua’an Pan Federal Constituency of Plateau State in the North-Central zone.
The budget also includes a proposal to allocate N70 million for skill acquisition and trade equipment provision to youths, women, and seven retirees in Inyamaltu/Deba area of Gombe State in the North-East.
Additionally, the ministry plans to spend N70 million on supplying mini pick-up vans, mini shuttle buses, and motorcycles to constituents in Abakaliki Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, in the South-East.
Another component involves training, sensitisation, advocacy, and youth empowerment programmes against drug abuse in Zamfara State, which falls in the North-West, among several other constituency-level projects outlined in the budget.
Political analysts have questioned the rationale behind the Federal Ministry of Works list those programmes in its budgets; a role the Women Affairs Ministry ought to play. This is no doubt a misplacement of priority.
Besides location of the programmes beneficiaries leaves much to be desired about the true intention of the Ministry, from the look of things those are funds that will simply vanish into thin air with nothing to show for it.