**Rejects Kalu’s explanation, says rebranding church allocation does not cure illegality
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has launched a blistering attack on what it described as the “gross misplacement of national priorities” following the allocation of N140 million by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development for the construction and rehabilitation of emir palaces and mosques in Kaduna State.
The rights advocacy group demanded the immediate withdrawal and review of the allocation, insisting that a federal ministry established to drive livestock production and national food security has no legitimate developmental reason to divert its resources into the construction or rehabilitation of religious and traditional institutions.
HURIWA, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said the allocation was particularly disturbing at a time when Nigeria is battling food insecurity, poverty, unemployment, insecurity and inadequate agricultural infrastructure.
The organisation questioned the rationale for saddling the livestock ministry with projects that have no apparent connection to its statutory responsibilities.
According to HURIWA, the ministry’s mandate covers livestock production, animal husbandry, pastoral development, dairy development, livestock value chains and national food security, making the financing of emir palaces and mosques an apparent distortion of its institutional purpose.
The group asked bluntly:
Why should a specialised federal ministry created to transform Nigeria’s livestock sector be financing emir palaces and mosques?
HURIWA described the allocation as a “grotesque distortion of national priorities”, warning that such spending undermines the very purpose of creating specialised ministries and weakens coherent national development planning.
HURIWA: Explain Who Requested, Approved N140m
The organisation demanded that the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development immediately publish the full justification and legal basis for the N140 million allocation.
It demanded disclosure of the project proposals, implementation plans, beneficiaries, procurement process, contractors, procurement documents, implementation status and the government officials or institutions responsible for initiating, processing and approving the expenditure.
HURIWA also challenged the ministry to demonstrate the precise connection between the projects and livestock development.
The group insisted that every naira appropriated through the livestock ministry must have a clear and measurable relationship with livestock development and national food security.
It warned that simply placing an expenditure in an approved budget does not automatically make it lawful, necessary, transparent or capable of delivering public value.
HURIWA also rejected the explanation offered by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, over the controversial budgetary provision originally described as N1 billion for church musical instruments in Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State.
The Deputy Speaker’s office reportedly explained that, after VAT and other deductions, the allocation amounts to about N780 million and is intended as a Youth Re-orientation and Social Support Programme to be implemented through faith-based organisations, including procurement of evangelical tools and public-address systems.
But HURIWA said the explanation has not addressed the fundamental issue.
The group argued that changing the description of the expenditure does not answer the question of whether hundreds of millions of naira from the federal treasury should be deployed to finance an evangelistic programme through churches in a constituency.
HURIWA said Nigeria is a constitutionally secular and religiously diverse nation, stressing that public funds must be deployed in accordance with constitutional principles, fiscal responsibility, transparency, accountability and equal citizenship.
The organisation warned against any attempt to disguise religious expenditure through administrative or development labels.
HURIWA said the two controversies point to a wider problem within Nigeria’s budgetary system, where ministries with clearly defined statutory mandates are increasingly being saddled with projects that appear unrelated to their institutional responsibilities.
The organisation warned that such practices undermine ministerial accountability and weaken the government’s ability to implement coherent national development policies.
It said a livestock ministry should not become a funding channel for unrelated constituency, religious or political projects.
HURIWA argued that the country’s scarce resources should instead be directed towards areas capable of improving productivity and citizens’ welfare.
According to the rights group, Nigeria’s livestock sector requires urgent investment in livestock breeding, veterinary services, animal health, dairy production, modern ranching, livestock infrastructure, research, agricultural technology, farmers’ support programmes and value-chain development.
The organisation said livestock farmers are currently confronted by insecurity, poor access to finance, inadequate veterinary services, weak infrastructure and limited market opportunities.
It therefore questioned why scarce public resources would be directed away from these pressing needs.
HURIWA warned that Nigeria cannot achieve food security by continually diverting resources from productive sectors into projects driven by what it described as political convenience rather than developmental necessity.
The organisation called on the National Assembly, Budget Office of the Federation, Auditor-General for the Federation and relevant anti-corruption agencies to scrutinise the N140 million allocation.
HURIWA wants the agencies to determine whether the expenditure complies with applicable public-finance, procurement and appropriation laws.
The group said the investigation should establish not only how the allocation entered the budget but also who originated the request, who processed it, who approved it and who stands to benefit from its implementation.
It maintained that public accountability does not end with budget approval.
HURIWA also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct a comprehensive review of questionable allocations across federal ministries and agencies.
The organisation said the President must ensure that public resources are channelled towards projects that directly improve the welfare and productivity of Nigerians.
It warned that Nigeria cannot simultaneously battle hunger, unemployment, insecurity and declining living standards while scarce public resources are allegedly being diverted to projects that do not demonstrably advance national development.
HURIWA said the livestock sector is too important to Nigeria’s food security and economic future to be reduced to a funding channel for unrelated projects.
The group insisted that Nigeria’s priorities should be productive agriculture, livestock transformation, modern technology, human-capital development, functional infrastructure, healthcare, education, jobs and food security.
The organisation demanded that the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development provide Nigerians with a comprehensive explanation of the N140 million allocation and announce concrete steps to withdraw, review or appropriately reclassify the expenditure where necessary.
HURIWA warned that failure to provide satisfactory answers would reinforce concerns that Nigeria’s budgetary process is being compromised by misplaced priorities and political considerations.
The organisation maintained that every naira allocated to government must meet the highest standards of transparency, accountability and public value.