JUDT IN: 2026 Budget: Put Constituency Projects Under Relevant Ministries for Transparency, Tinubu Aide Urges
By OGB Joseph, Abuja
Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, has called for a restructuring of the administration of constituency projects, arguing that they should be domiciled under relevant ministries to enhance transparency, accountability and effective monitoring.
Speaking during an interview on News Central’ Good Morning Show on the 24th July, while responding to questions on the 2026 budget, Ajayi maintained that constituency projects remain valuable for grassroots development and should not be dismissed because of shortcomings in their implementation.
He argued that projects such as schools, primary healthcare centres and community infrastructure have delivered tangible benefits in many communities, stressing that the focus should be on improving the framework for executing them rather than condemning the initiative outright.
Ajayi acknowledged concerns over the current practice of assigning constituency projects to ministries and agencies whose mandates do not align with the nature of the projects. According to him, such anomalies weaken oversight and accountability.
He proposed that educational projects should be handled by the Ministry of Education, health-related projects by the Ministry of Health, agricultural initiatives by the Ministry of Agriculture, while civil works should fall under the Ministry of Works.
“I have made the point that constituency projects can be better provided for, funded and appropriated if they are warehoused under the appropriate ministries and departments with direct mandates in those areas,” he said.
The presidential aide explained that placing projects under relevant ministries would improve public access to information, strengthen monitoring by professionals with the necessary technical expertise and ensure that projects are properly implemented.
Ajayi also cautioned against situations where projects such as mosques, town halls or palaces are budgeted under ministries whose mandates have no connection with such infrastructure, describing the practice as one that should be corrected.
While agreeing that concerns over transparency are legitimate, he insisted that the solution lies in reforming the budgeting and implementation process rather than scrapping constituency projects altogether.
According to him, a more structured system of appropriating constituency projects through the appropriate ministries and departments would enhance fiscal accountability, improve project delivery and ensure that public funds achieve their intended developmental objectives.
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