The Federal Ministry of Works under Dave Umahi has earmarked more than N500 million in its 2026 budget for a range of empowerment programs, including training for hairdressers and make-up artists and the distribution of grinding machines, motorcycles, and mini-vans, as well as anti-drug abuse awareness campaigns across selected states.
Details of the proposed expenditures are contained in the 2026 Appropriation Bill published on the Budget Office website and accessed on Thursday.
A review of the budget indicates that the projects are spread across different geopolitical zones of the country.
According to the document, under budget item code ERGP 12234747, the ministry intends to spend N35 million on providing an unspecified number of grinding machines to women in Ndokwa/Ukwani Federal Constituency, located in the South-South zone.
Similarly, another N35 million has been set aside to train and empower women in hairdressing, make-up, and soap production in Mikang/Shandam/Qua’an Pan Federal Constituency of Plateau State in the North-Central zone.
The budget also includes a proposal to allocate N70 million for skill acquisition and trade equipment provision to youths, women, and seven retirees in Inyamaltu/Deba area of Gombe State in the North-East.
Additionally, the ministry plans to spend N70 million on supplying mini pick-up vans, mini shuttle buses, and motorcycles to constituents in Abakaliki Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, in the South-East.
Another component involves training, sensitisation, advocacy, and youth empowerment programmes against drug abuse in Zamfara State, which falls in the North-West, among several other constituency-level projects outlined in the budget.
The inclusion of these empowerment initiatives in the Federal Ministry of Works’ 2026 budget has sparked debate and raised questions about the appropriateness of such allocations within the ministry’s mandate.
