By Sandra Ugwu 

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, has disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reduced the ₦1 billion constituency project allocation earlier earmarked for each federal lawmaker to ₦500 million, citing financial constraints in the 2025 national budget.

In a viral video circulating on social media, Gagdi, who represents the Pankshin, Kanke, and Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State, clarified that lawmakers do not personally receive constituency project funds, contrary to widespread public belief.

“Our legislative framework is different from that of the State Assembly. No federal legislator is handed constituency funds,” Gagdi explained. “What we get is a ₦1 billion envelope per state, which is then distributed among all the federal lawmakers from that state.”

He further explained that the actual value of projects allocated to each legislator varies depending on the number of representatives per state. “For instance, Kano has 27 lawmakers sharing the ₦1 billion, while Plateau has only eight members, giving each of us ₦125 million worth of projects,” he said.

The lawmaker revealed that most additional development projects seen in constituencies are secured through lobbying ministries and agencies for further interventions.

“I had never received constituency projects worth more than ₦125 million until this year when the President raised the intervention to ₦1 billion per House member and ₦2 billion per Senator,” he stated.

However, Gagdi added that despite the passage of the 2025 Appropriation Act, the federal government has yet to release capital project funds.

“It was only last week that the President informed the Speaker that the 2025 budget cannot be fully funded,” Gagdi said. “As a result, he decided to reduce our constituency project allocation from ₦1 billion to ₦500 million.”

- AnchorNews