Fresh details from the 2026 federal budget proposal have shown that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) plans to spend more than ₦3.2 billion on non-capital items such as cleaning, meals, fuel and power-related services in the coming fiscal year.
The spending breakdown is contained in the 2026 Appropriation Bill submitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the National Assembly on December 19 and listed under the Presidency segment of the budget. Documents obtained from the Budget Office of the Federation outline significant allocations for the anti-graft agency’s recurrent needs.
According to the figures, the EFCC has set aside about ₦278.6 million for cleaning and fumigation, while meals and refreshments are expected to cost ₦722 million. Energy-related expenses account for the largest portion of the estimate, with ₦1.02 billion proposed for vehicle fuel and an additional ₦1.2 billion for generator fuelling.
Taken together, these items alone push the commission’s projected spending on cleaning, food and energy services beyond ₦3.2 billion for 2026.
The budget proposal also reflects other substantial overhead costs. The EFCC plans to allocate ₦170.5 million for drugs and medical supplies, ₦376.5 million for the maintenance of vehicles and transport equipment, and ₦46 million for office furniture repairs. In addition, ₦1.5 billion is earmarked for the upkeep of office buildings and residential quarters, while ₦159.8 million is proposed for maintaining office and IT equipment.
The broader 2026 budget outlines total federal spending of ₦58.18 trillion, including ₦15.52 trillion dedicated to debt servicing. With projected revenues estimated at ₦34.33 trillion, the proposal leaves a funding gap of ₦23.85 trillion, which the Federal Government intends to cover through a combination of local and external borrowing.
The EFCC is among several government agencies whose recurrent expenditure provisions have drawn attention as lawmakers intensify scrutiny of the budget at the National Assembly.
Concerns Over Recurrent Spending
Commenting on the figures, governance and public policy analysts raised concerns about what they described as persistent and inflated overhead costs across ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). They warned that such spending habits undermine fiscal discipline and limit the government’s capacity to deliver meaningful services to citizens.
Speaking to Daily Trust, the Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Comrade Debo Adeniran, said the allocations reflect a longstanding culture of waste in public sector budgeting.
“We have consistently complained about the profligacy embedded in the system. The same items appear in budgets every year—office renovations, furniture, and similar expenditures—repeated endlessly. It creates room for misuse of public funds,” he said.
Adeniran added that recurrent expenses are often structured to prioritise the comfort of officials rather than public interest.
Similarly, political scientist Dr. Kabiru Sa’id Sufi noted that overhead costs are steadily consuming a disproportionate share of government spending.
“Overhead expenditure is taking up too much of the budget, which should not be the case. What we see sometimes is a recycled budget with minor adjustments. The repeated appearance of the same items suggests weak implementation or that many of these expenses are not truly necessary,” he said.
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As deliberations on the 2026 budget continue, analysts believe the EFCC’s proposed spending will intensify conversations around the need for tighter controls on recurrent expenditure and improved accountability across government institutions.
