By Aaron Ossai
Senator Victor Umeh has faulted the allocation of capital funds to River Basin Development Authorities in the 2026 budget of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, alleging deliberate marginalisation of some agencies.
Senator Umeh, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, raised the concern during the budget consideration, expressing dismay that the funding disparities persisted despite previous interventions by the Senate.
He recalled that the Senate had raised concerns over a special intervention fund of about N380 billion last year, prompting discussions aimed at addressing perceived irregularities in the allocation of resources.
According to him, the 2026 budget showed no indication that the concerns had been addressed, as some River Basin Development Authorities were allocated significantly lower capital provisions than others.
Umeh specifically cited the Cross River River Basin Development Authority, which received N3 billion; Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority, N4 billion; Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, N5 billion; and Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority, N4 billion.
He argued that the allocations placed the four agencies at a disadvantage compared with other river basin authorities that received substantially higher amounts.
Citing figures in the budget proposal, the Senator said the Owena River Basin Development Authority was allocated N45 billion, Chad Basin N33 billion, Hadejia-Jama’are N67 billion, Ogun-Osun N39 billion, Sokoto-Rima N52 billion, Upper Benue N32 billion and Upper Niger N25 billion.
Umeh questioned the basis for the wide disparity, noting that the four agencies he identified were the only ones with capital allocations in single-digit billions of naira.
He said the pattern raised concerns about fairness and the criteria used to distribute funds among the 12 River Basin Development Authorities.
The Senator also expressed disappointment that the budget appeared to reproduce the same funding concerns that had previously attracted the attention of the Senate and the Deputy Senate President, who he said had invited the minister to address the matter.
Umeh urged the relevant authorities to reconsider the allocations, insisting that the continued disparity was difficult to justify and should not be allowed to pass without scrutiny.
He called on lawmakers to examine the budget provisions carefully before approving them, stressing the need for a fairer distribution of capital funds among the agencies responsible for water resources development.
Speaking in a telephone interview with Nigerian Pilot yesterday, Senator Umeh said “I have done my part; it’s left for the authorities concerned to probe further into the revelations and ensure that the Water Resources Ministry that has Utsev Joseph as Minister do the right thing.”
