Analyst Questions Why Nigeria's Almajiri Commission Has ₦8.4 Billion for Road Construction

In a post on his verified X account on Monday, Mahdi Shehu raised concerns about the 2026 budget of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children, which he says includes ₦8.4 billion set aside for road development projects, among other allocations that have nothing to do with the commission's actual mandate.

The total approved budget for the commission in 2026 is ₦22.82 billion. So, to be clear about the scale of what he is flagging: more than a third of the entire budget of an agency created to address one of Nigeria's most urgent education and welfare crises has allegedly been directed toward road construction.

Beyond the road construction figure, Shehu says the budget also contains provisions for hospital equipment, ambulances, and solar installations. None of these, he argues, fall within the commission's policy mandate.

"From the total budget, ₦8.4 billion was recklessly earmarked for road construction in Ekiti, Ogun and Katsina states," he wrote. "Other reckless provisions are those for solar installations and the purchase of hospital ambulances and hospital equipment."

He was blunt about what he thinks is going on.

"It is clear from the fraudulent insertions that some politicians are simply wicked, irresponsible, callous, treacherous and greedy," he wrote.

Strong language. But before dismissing it as rhetorical heat, consider the underlying argument, because it is actually fairly simple to evaluate. The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children has a defined mandate. That mandate is, as Shehu puts it, purely Almajiri-centred. Road construction is not in it. Hospital ambulances are not in it. Solar systems are not in it. Either someone can explain why these items belong in this commission's budget, or they cannot.