The Nigeria Customs College Senior Course students
Nigeria’s public finance records more effective in spending than results, Athena Centre reveals
National President of the Nigeria Auctioneers Association (NAA), Musa Kurra, has alleged that some government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are violating due process in the disposal of seized and public properties.
But the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership revealed that Nigeria has developed substantial mechanisms for tracking public expenditure but lacks an equally strong system for determining whether the spending produces measurable improvements in citizens’ lives.
The NAA president said the relevant laws require government agencies that seize or forfeit properties to engage qualified valuers to determine their worth and appoint licensed auctioneers to dispose of the properties to the public.
During a press briefing in Abuja, Kurra said agencies such as the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) should comply with the provisions of the law rather than create internal structures to conduct auctions.
He alleged that certain auction exercises resulted in properties being sold at prices that did not reflect their true value, thereby short-changing the government.
He specifically accused the Customs of conducting auctions through “an illegal” Direct Auction Administration Department, insisting that auctioneering must be conducted in accordance with the law and through licensed auctioneers.
Calling on President Bola Tinubu to investigate the alleged practices, he warned that they could tarnish the image of the administration and lead to significant revenue losses.
On the leadership dispute within the association, Kurra said there was no ambiguity over the legitimacy of his administration, citing a judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in Bauchi which, according to him, directed the association to hold an Annual General Meeting and conduct an election.
He urged members of the association to allow the law to take its course, noting that another election would be held in 2027.
THE Director, Gidado Idriss Institute of Public Policy and Governance, Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Izuchukwu Anyanwu, and Senior Researcher, Arthur Nwankwo Institute of Education and Human Rights, Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, ChinazaIgwe, argue that the central question facing Nigeria’s public finance system “is no longer whether government is spending, but whether public spending produces verifiable, sustained public value.”
The report notes that Nigeria’s 2026 budget is N27.5 trillion, while approximately 41.6 per cent of federally retained revenue went to debt service in 2025.
Across the 2024–2026 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), more than N5.9 trillion was allocated to health, N7.4 trillion to education, over N10 trillion to infrastructure and approximately N5.8 trillion to defence and security.
The report claimed that higher spending had not consistently translated into better healthcare access, learning outcomes, transport efficiency or security conditions.
The report identifies the problem as institutional rather than fiscal.
“Budgeting remains input-driven; legislative oversight focuses heavily on appropriation rather than previous performance; ministries and agencies are incentivised to execute budgets rather than demonstrate functional outcomes; financial systems remain disconnected from sectoral performance data; and auditing remains predominantly compliance-focused,” the report stated.
It recommends the publication of a results annex alongside the yearly Appropriation Bill, linking programme allocations to measurable outcomes. It also recommends ex-post-performance briefs from MDAs before new capital projects are approved within the MTEF cycle.
The report identifies the 2027–2029 MTEF as a critical institutional decision point. Embedding performance data into budgeting, appropriation and audit, it argues, will determine whether Nigeria’s public-finance system becomes a mechanism for delivering public value or remains primarily focused on expenditure management.