The Federal Government has approved over N163 billion for Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIPs) in the 2025 budget, with allocations spread across States and key priority sectors, according to budget data released by the Budget Office of the Federation and analysed by the civil group, Tracka.

The N54.99 trillion 2025 federal budget, presented by President Bola Tinubu and passed by the National Assembly in December 2024, seeks to balance infrastructure investment, social spending, and fiscal consolidation.

A key component of the budget is the ZIPs, popularly referred to as Constituency Projects, which allow lawmakers to nominate projects in their constituencies to address grassroots needs.

In recent years, ZIPs have sparked debates over transparency, equity, and accountability, with critics arguing that they are often poorly executed, serve political patronage, and do not align with the Federal Government’s broader development agenda.

Despite these concerns, allocations for ZIPs have continued to rise, underscoring their political importance.

The latest figures show wide disparities in allocations by state and a heavy concentration of spending on empowerment initiatives.

The data also reflected the disparities in allocations among states, which is often a reflection of the bargaining power and influence of lawmakers in the National Assembly, rather than objective developmental needs.

For instance, while Ogun and Kano command multi-billion allocations, states like Yobe, Zamfara, and Taraba are at the lower rung with allocations between N1.5 billion and N1.6 billion.

Among the States, Ogun State received the highest allocation with N8.44 billion, followed by Kano State with N6.46 billion, and Akwa Ibom with N5.34 billion.

Other top recipients include Abia with N4.50 billion, Kaduna got N4.27 billion, and Gombe got N3.86 billion.

At the lower end, states such as Jigawa, Katsina, and Sokoto were each allocated N1.42 billion, while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) received the least with N1.10 billion.

Also, a breakdown of the ZIP allocations by sector shows that empowerment projects take the lion’s share with N35.42 billion, representing more than one-fifth of the total ZIP allocation.

These projects typically include the distribution of items like motorcycles, sewing machines, and cash grants.

Agriculture ranks second with N27.33 billion, while solar energy projects take third place with N10.6 billion.

Education and health were allocated N10.2 billion and N7.85 billion, respectively, while road projects got N5.06 billion.

Water projects received N4.28 billion, with electricity projects trailing at N1.18 billion.

Civil society organisations over the years have consistently raised concerns about the ZIPs, citing issues of poor implementation, duplication of projects, and inadequate community involvement.

Critics have often criticized the essence of the Constituency Projects, lamenting that while billions are allocated yearly, many Nigerians hardly feel the impact at the grassroots (BusinessDay)