How Two MDAs Spent N25.9bn on suspicious projects within 24hrs
How Two MDAs Spent N25.9bn on suspicious projects within 24hrs
Fresh concerns over public spending have emerged after data from Govspend, a civic accountability platform, revealed that two federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) disbursed a combined ₦25,921,786,382.65 (₦25.9bn) within a single day, with ₦2.85bn of the transactions flagged as duplicates.
An analysis of the dataset obtained by Daily Trust on Tuesday showed that the bulk of the spending was carried out on March 31, 2026, by the Federal Co-operative College, Oji River, Enugu State, and the Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin-Kowa, Gombe State. Several of the payments were also linked to projects that appear to fall outside the statutory mandates of the institutions.
The most striking irregularity in the data is a pattern of repeated payments of ₦268,473,150, all made by the Federal Co-operative College, Oji River, for similar road and erosion control projects across different communities.
Eight separate payments—each carrying the same amount and near-identical project descriptions—were made to different contractors:
Swam Construction Ltd received ₦268,473,150 for access roads and erosion control in Uzii and adjoining areas, while Gorrion Engineering Ltd was paid the same amount for a 1km road with drainage and erosion control in Eziama and surrounding communities.
Diamond Leeds Ltd was also paid ₦268,473,150 for access roads and erosion control across Okporo, Ohoba, Eziama, Abajah and Uzii, while Ice Target Project Ltd received the same sum for a 1km road with drainage in Abajah (Phase I).
Similarly, Hard Harts Construction Ltd and Zentrum Builders Ltd were each paid ₦268,473,150 for road and erosion control projects in multiple locations. Gold Reef Construction Ltd and Alpin Leeds Construction Ltd also received identical payments for access roads and erosion control under Phase I projects.
The eight transactions amount to ₦2,147,785,200, forming the largest component of the ₦2,850,085,200 flagged as duplicate payments.
In addition, the college made at least 17 separate disbursements of ₦29.1 million each on the same day, largely described as mobilisation or first-tranche payments for constituency-based projects across several states.
Among the beneficiaries, Stargate Global Resources Mega Concepts Ltd received ₦29.1m for cocoa spraying equipment in Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency, Cross River State, while Heartland Associates Ltd was paid the same amount for food items in Coker/Ijesha, Lagos State.
Mitchbarit International Ltd got ₦29.1m for grains for vulnerable residents in Ajeromi/Ifelodun, and First 3CS Global Resources Ltd received ₦29.1m for agricultural inputs in Ajaokuta, Kogi State.
Other payments include ₦29.1m each to De Chycybel Resources Ltd for grains and farm tools in Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu, Kogi State; Springfield Associates Ltd for agricultural implements in Edu/Moro/Patigi, Kwara State; and Gamma Eagles Ltd for farm tools in Amuwo-Odofin.
Further disbursements of the same amount went to Emdaic Solutions Nig Ltd for agricultural inputs in Plateau State; Pearl-Davik Medpharm Services Ltd for agricultural products in Ogun State; and Kaffog Industrial Company Ltd for fertilizers and grains in Osun State.
Jambik Global Services Ltd received ₦29.1m for school furniture in Bauchi State, while Soibe Global Services Ltd was paid ₦29.1m for empowerment materials in Rivers State.
Top Class Interior and General Contracts Ltd and Firtahir Global Resource Ltd each received ₦29.1m for agricultural equipment and inputs in Kano State, while Juaso Power Solution Ltd got the same amount for farm implements in Anambra State.
Dan Maliki Agro Allied Services Ltd was paid ₦29.1m for agricultural inputs in Katsina State, and Keleking Global Resources Ltd received ₦29.1m for food distribution in Abia State.Altogether, these payments total ₦494.7 million.
The dataset also shows four payments of ₦51.9 million each for solar streetlight projects.
Diamante Global Services Ltd received ₦51.9m for installations in Ajeromi/Ifelodun, while Maccido Ranch Services Ltd was paid the same amount for a project in Kaura, Kaduna State. Soibe Global Services Ltd got ₦51.9m for solar streetlights in Bonny/Degema, Rivers State, and Hilton Villa International Services Ltd received ₦51.9m for installations in Orumba North and South Federal Constituency, Anambra State. These transactions amount to ₦207.6 million.
The scale and nature of the projects have raised concerns about whether the Federal Co-operative College is operating within its statutory mandate.
Established in 1976 during the administration of former Head of State Olusegun Obasanjo, the college was designed to train manpower for Nigeria’s cooperative sector, focusing on education, research and capacity building.
Similarly, the Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin-Kowa—established in 2002 under the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria—is mandated to train technicians in horticulture and landscaping.
However, records show that the Dadin-Kowa institution also disbursed ₦845.8 million in one day to three companies for projects not clearly tied to its academic and research functions.
The findings come amid recent concerns raised by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, who warned agencies under his supervision against executing projects outside their core mandates.
“All programmes and initiatives of the ministry shall be aligned with the administration’s priorities of food security, economic growth, job creation, poverty eradication and inclusivity,” the minister said.
He stressed that MDAs must focus strictly on agricultural development and avoid engaging in unrelated projects.
The volume, timing and pattern of the disbursements—particularly the recurrence of identical payment figures and the spread of constituency-linked projects—have intensified scrutiny of procurement processes and financial controls within federal institutions.
With ₦25.9 billion spent in just 24 hours and ₦2.85 billion flagged as duplicate transactions, the data raises pressing questions about transparency, oversight and adherence to public finance regulations.
