Women Affairs Ministry seeks increase in N134.2bn 2026 budget …As Senate raises concern over poor fund releases

By Iyojo Ameh

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has called for an upward review of the N134.2 billion allocated to the ministry in the 2026 fiscal year.
This came as the Senate, through its Committee on Women Affairs, expressed dissatisfaction with the extremely low cash releases for the ministry’s capital and overhead components in the 2025 budget.

The minister made the appeal for an upward review of the 2026 budget proposal on Monday during a budget defence session with the Senate Committee on Women Affairs.
According to her, increasing the allocation would enable the ministry to effectively implement programmes aimed at addressing the multifaceted challenges facing women across the country.
“In line with the plan and the need for more domestic allocations in the 2026 fiscal year, an upward review of the budget estimates for the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development should be considered,” she said.
Responding, the Chairman of the Committee, Ireti Kingibe, said while the request was understandable, the persistent issue of poor fund releases must first be addressed by the executive.
“We are not opposed to an upward review of the allocation for your ministry in 2026. However, the problem of abysmal fund releases, as reflected in your presentation on the 2025 budget appropriation and releases, is a serious concern. That issue must be resolved first,” she said.
Earlier in her presentation on the performance of the 2025 budget and projections for 2026, the minister disclosed that out of the N89.8 billion appropriated for capital expenditure in 2025, only N394 million was released in December, and the amount was not utilised.
“The same situation applied to the overhead allocation in 2025, where only N471 million was released out of the N2.8 billion appropriated,” she added.
She further stated that for the 2026 fiscal year, a total of N134.2 billion has been earmarked for the ministry, comprising N2.1 billion for personnel costs, N131.2 billion for capital expenditure, and N810.9 million for overhead costs.