WOMEN AFFAIRS MINISTER CALLS FOR REASSESSMENT OF ₦134.2BN 2026 BUDGET
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The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, on Monday called for an increase in the proposed ₦134.2bn allocation to the ministry for the 2026 fiscal year, as the Senate voiced concern over what it described as extremely low releases for the ministry’s 2025 budget.
She made the appeal while defending the ministry’s budget before the Senate Committee on Women Affairs at the National Assembly.
According to Sulaiman-Ibrahim, raising the allocation is essential to enable the ministry address the numerous challenges facing women nationwide.
“In line with the plan and need for greater domestic funding in the 2026 fiscal year, the budget estimates for the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development should be reviewed upward,” she stated.
However, members of the committee responded by stressing that the executive must first resolve the issue of inadequate fund releases before considering any increase.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ireti Kingibe (FCT), stated that although lawmakers were open to increasing the ministry’s 2026 allocation, the pattern of fund releases for the current fiscal year remained troubling.
“We are not opposed to an upward review of the allocation for your ministry in 2026. However, the issue of extremely poor fund releases, as reflected in your presentation on the 2025 budget appropriation and disbursements, is a major concern to us. That issue must be resolved first,” she said.
Earlier, while outlining the ministry’s 2025 budget performance and its projections for 2026, the minister revealed that of the ₦89.8bn approved for capital expenditure in 2025, only ₦394m was released in December, and the amount was not utilised.
She further noted that a similar situation occurred with the ministry’s overhead allocation for 2025, as only ₦471 million was released out of the ₦2.8 billion appropriated.
She added that the proposed ₦134.2bn allocation for 2026 comprises ₦2.1bn for personnel costs, ₦131.2bn for capital expenditure, and ₦810.9m for overhead expenses.
The situation highlights increasing concern within the Senate over gaps in budget implementation, particularly for ministries responsible for key social development responsibilities.
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