THE West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) are some of the notable government agencies that will stop getting budgetary allocations from 2026,The ICIR can confirm.
The Federal government has decided to stop funding some agencies, many of them professional bodies and councils.
The Director-General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, disclosed this in a circular, DG/BDT/GEN.CORR/2016/XII/3067 dated June 26, 2023, addressed to the Nigerian Council of Food, Science & Technology, and the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation.
According to Akabueze, the move was in line with the decision of the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS).
He noted that the implementation would be effected from December 31, 2026.
The memo read, “I wish to inform you that the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS) at its 13th meeting approved the discontinuation of budgetary allocation to Professional Bodies/Councils effective 2026.
“The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to inform you that in compliance with the PCS’s directive, this Office will no longer make budgetary provisions to your institution with effect from the above-stated date, and you will be regarded as a self-funded organisation.”
The affected agencies include the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, the Computer Registration Council, the Librarians Registration Council, the National Education Research and Development Council, the Mass Literacy Council, the National Examination Council and the West African Examination Council (Local and International) under the Ministry of Education.
Under the Ministry of Health, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), and the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria will be affected.
Others include the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, the Nigeria Press Council, the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geosciences, the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Survey Council of Nigeria, the Legal Aid Council, the Council of Legal Education, the National Automotive Design and Development Council, the Nigeria Export Promotion Council, the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council, and the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.