According to the budget breakdown, the government allocated ₦1.91 billion for projects tied to seven churches, while ₦6.14 billion was earmarked for 52 mosque projects.

A wave of public criticism has hit the Nigerian Government following revelations that it earmarked a staggering ₦8.05 billion for the construction, renovation, and equipping of places of worship across the country in the 2026 budget.

The allocation was uncovered and made public on Sunday by Tracka, a public accountability organization under BudgIT.

According to the budget breakdown, the government allocated ₦1.91 billion for projects tied to seven churches, while ₦6.14 billion was earmarked for 52 mosque projects.

The document analyzed by SaharaReporters on Sunday revealed several contentious line items embedded under ministries and agencies traditionally detached from religious affairs.

Among the projects is code ERGP20273981, which details ₦1 billion allocated through the Industrial Arbitration Panel under the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment for the provision and distribution of musical and cultural equipment to churches in Bende Local Government Area, Abia State.

Under code ERGP20276180, another ₦1 billion was allocated under the Energy Commission of Nigeria for the provision of alternative solar power supply to mosques in Zamfara North Senatorial District.

Furthermore, codes ERGP20269562 and ERGP20269566 show a combined ₦850 million under the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, an agency in the Presidency, for the construction of churches and mosques, alongside financial support to religious leaders in Gombe State.

Code ERGP30242140 allocates ₦280 million via the Cocoa Research Institute of Ibadan under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for the construction of Al-Quareeb community mosque and palace in Oyo State.

Other line items include ₦280 million under code ERGP1246583 for the ongoing renovation of mosques and provision of mini-grids in Zamfara Central Senatorial District handled by the Federal Co-operative College, Kaduna.

Code ERGP30244079 allocates ₦280 million through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for the renovation of the Central Mosque Minna, Paiko Central Mosque, and the provision of carpets. Additionally, code ERGP30241711 allocates ₦210 million to the Institute of Agricultural Research, Zaria, for the construction of the Tsafe Town Fifth Jumu'at Mosque, an Islamiyya school, administration offices, fencing, and an Imam house.

The budget further details ₦210 million under code ERGP1246584 for solar light installation in mosques and graveyards in Zamfara Central Senatorial District, and ₦200 million under code ERGP20274300 through the National Productivity Centre for a mosque and Islamic centre in Kebbi State.

Code ERGP20275771 shows ₦200 million via the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute for the construction of a chapel or mosque and a solar-powered borehole at the Federal Government Science Secondary School in Billiri, Gombe State. The National Commission for Refugees also houses a ₦200 million allocation under code ERGP20278027 for a mosque in Kura Local Government Area and the fencing of an Eid Mosque in Kano State.

Additional allocations feature ₦150 million under code ERGP20274461 for a mosque in Musawa Federal Constituency, and ₦140 million under code ERGP27246230 through the Federal College of Veterinary and Medical Laboratory Technology for the construction and rehabilitation of emir palaces and a mosque in Kaduna State.

Code ERGP30235248 reflects ₦140 million for mosque renovations in Sokoto State via the Federal Co-operative College, Oji River, while code ERGP20276415 outlines ₦140 million through the Energy Commission of Nigeria for a Jumu'at mosque in Sokoto State.

Under code ERGP22241938, ₦122.5 million is designated through the Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital for the rehabilitation of a Jumu'at mosque alongside utility vehicle purchases and tertiary student cash grants in Sokoto State. Code ERGP30242540 earmarks ₦119 million via the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute for mosques and dispensary centres in Jigawa State.

Several ₦100 million allocations were also uncovered, including code ERGP20273448 for a mosque renovation alongside bridge and road works in Gombe State; code ERGP20269872 under the Border Communities Development Agency for the central mosque in Omu-Ijebu, Ogun State; code ERGP20270170 for the Akesan Central Mosque in Alimosho, Lagos State; and code ERGP20272054 for solar installations in Friday mosques across Jigawa State.

The National Productivity Centre houses three more ₦100 million mosque construction projects under codes ERGP20274310, ERGP20274457, and ERGP20274458 in Kebbi and Matazu constituencies, alongside another ₦100 million under code ERGP20274464 for a mosque in Gidan Lumu.

The Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research is tied to a ₦100 million allocation under code ERGP20276701 for solar provisions in Kano State mosques and schools, while the National Productivity Centre appears again under code ERGP20275198 with a ₦70 million allocation for mosques and Islamiyya schools in Kebbi and Katsina states.

The National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies is designated to handle ₦70 million under code ERGP30235483 for solar boreholes and renovations within mosques in Kano State, as well as another ₦70 million under code ERGP20277739 for the construction of damaged mosques affected by bandits in Kano State.


Code ERGP30235566 sets aside ₦70 million through the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education for solar street lights in Sokoto State communities, schools, and mosques. The Energy Commission of Nigeria reappears under code ERGP20276259 with a ₦60 million solar installation project in Kano State.

Furthermore, codes ERGP30241943 and ERGP30241945 allocate ₦56 million each through the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute for the remodelling of Izala mosques in Kebbi State. Code ERGP27240095 allocates ₦52.5 million via the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority for the expansion and furnishing of a central Jumu'at mosque in Sokoto State.

The National Productivity Centre is tasked with ₦50 million under code ERGP20274053 for the renovation of a church building in Bayelsa East Senatorial District. Code ERGP20271297 allocates ₦50 million through the Federal Co-operative College, Oji River, for the completion of a central mosque at the cattle market in Ugwuoba, Enugu State. Code ERGP20276093 lists ₦50 million via the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology for the rehabilitation of mosques and schools in Northwest states.

Finally, code ERGP28240640 sets aside ₦42.77 million through the Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority for solar-powered boreholes at mosques and a deputy governor's house in Taraba State.

The allocation has sparked intense debate among economic analysts and citizens, primarily because it comes at a time when Nigeria is battling severe macroeconomic headwinds.

The 2026 Federal Government budget is saddled with a historic fiscal deficit of ₦31.45 trillion, a figure that represents a staggering 46% of the total budget size. To plug this deficit, the government will rely heavily on domestic and external borrowings, adding to an already suffocating national debt profile where debt servicing swallows a major chunk of generated revenues.

Public policy analysts, Gerald Moses Ede, argue that borrowing money to fund capital projects that yield zero economic returns, such as buying church musical instruments or building mosques, defies fiscal prudence.

Tracka noted in a public appeal on X that at a time when many communities still lack functional primary healthcare centres, quality schools, clean water, and motorable roads, these are not the most pressing priorities for scarce public resources.

The organization maintained that with increasing debt and limited fiscal space, every naira borrowed and every naira spent should deliver the greatest possible public value, questioning whether public funds should be used to construct and renovate places of worship while many essential public services remain underfunded.

"With increasing debt and limited fiscal space, every naira borrowed and every naira spent should deliver the greatest possible public value," Tracka stated in a public appeal on X.

"At a time when many communities still lack functional primary healthcare centres, quality schools, clean water, and motorable roads, are these the most pressing priorities for scarce public resources?"

A major red flag raised by experts is the complete misalignment of institutional mandates in the budget execution strategy.

Assigning the distribution of church musical equipment to the Industrial Arbitration Panel, mosque solar installations to Agricultural Colleges, and religious construction to the Cocoa Research Institute or NALDA highlights a deep-seated systemic issue.

Historically, incorporating constituency projects into unrelated ministerial budgets has been used by politicians to bypass standard procurement scrutiny, serving as conduits for political patronage. While faith remains an integral part of Nigerian society, civic groups maintain that religious funding should be the exclusive preserve of private organizations and adherents.