Kebbi N580bn budget: ‘No missing money, only unrealised revenue’ — State Govt

The Kebbi State Government has rejected allegations of financial mismanagement surrounding its N580.33 billion 2025 budget, saying the funds described as unaccounted for were never received by the state.

Ibrahim Abubakar Jombali, Special Adviser to Governor Nasir Idris on Public Enlightenment and Orientation, stated this in response to an analysis by Bello Abdullahi, Director of Strategic Communications, ADC Kebbi Campaign Council, which questioned the implementation of the state’s 2025 budget.

Abdullahi had questioned the difference between the state’s budget projections and actual revenue and expenditure, particularly the Capital Development Fund.

According to the analysis, Kebbi projected N276.27 billion from the Capital Development Fund but realised N47.45 billion, leaving a shortfall of more than N228 billion.

It also stated that total revenue, including the opening balance, stood at N275.39 billion, while total expenditure was N239.77 billion.

The analysis further noted that the state initially budgeted N451.01 billion for capital expenditure but revised the provision to N442.38 billion, with actual capital spending standing at N152.85 billion.

Reacting, Jombali said the analysis wrongly treated unrealised revenue as money that should have been available to the government.

“A budget is not a bank account,” he said, explaining that a budget represents projected revenue and planned expenditure rather than funds already available in government coffers.

Jombali specifically disputed the suggestion that the N228 billion Capital Development Fund shortfall represented missing funds, saying the projected revenue was simply not realised.

“There is no missing money in the figures he cites. There is only unrealised revenue,” he said.

He said Kebbi received more than N172 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, representing 82.6 per cent of its N209.25 billion projection, while internally generated revenue reached more than 70 per cent of its target.

Jombali said the government adjusted its expenditure in response to the revenue shortfall instead of spending against funds that had not materialised.

He added that the state spent nearly N240 billion during the year, including more than N152 billion on capital projects.

Abdullahi’s analysis also questioned spending on agriculture, works and transport, education and health, which received allocations of about N103.07 billion, N59.71 billion, N56.59 billion and N53.56 billion, respectively.

Jombali challenged critics alleging financial mismanagement to identify specific projects where funds were diverted or not accounted for, saying questions over the budget figures alone do not establish that public money was missing.