• Nigeria’s 2026 budget: N58.47 trillion; only N206.5 billion (0.35%) earmarked for poverty reduction

• Majority (over 96%) of this comes from Service Wide Vote under National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS)

• Non-SWV allocations to MDAs total N6.5 billion, focused on food distribution, empowerment tools, and skills training

The Federal Government’s 2026 budget shows a disproportionately small allocation for poverty alleviation, despite projections of worsening poverty.

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Only 0.35% of the N58.47tn budget is directly targeted at lifting citizens out of poverty. Most of this funding comes from the Service Wide Vote, with very limited funds reaching ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) for direct interventions.

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Key MDA allocations include: Federal Co-operative College, Ibadan: N2.87bn for tricycles and motorcycles to empower communities

Also, Centre for Management Development: N840m for SME empowerment. Board for Technology Business Incubator, Abuja: N700m for tech-based poverty alleviation.

Other smaller projects focus on skills acquisition, women and youth empowerment, and capacity-building across several states. However, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation also allocated funds for administrative and non-direct poverty projects, such as office furniture, UN participation, and digital infrastructure.