The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria, Kaduna State, has earmarked N8,771,000,000 for the construction of roads in five northern states.
This was contained in the 2026 appropriation bill of the Ministry of Transport, presented to the National Assembly in late December 2025 by President Bola Tinubu.
NITT is a training institution saddled with the responsibility of providing skilled manpower for the transport sector, including road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors.
In the appropriation bill, the institute was allocated N37,189,077,683, representing 8.60 per cent of the total allocation of N432,298,285,025 to the Ministry of Transport.
The N8,771,000,000 allocation for road construction in the five northern states represents 23.6 per cent of its total allocation for the 2026 budget.
A further breakdown of the road construction revealed that the institute planned to construct a road in the Sabuwar Kasa–Kahutu–Kudan area in Katsina State at a cost of N1,400,000,000. The project was marked “ongoing” in the appropriation bill.
In another project, the institute planned to construct rural access roads in Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto, and Kebbi states at a cost of N2,100,000,000.
It also earmarked N1,400,000,000 for the construction of farmers’ access roads across Sokoto, Katsina, and Kebbi, although the appropriation bill did not specify exact locations.
NITT additionally planned the construction of asphalt roads and drainage systems in “selected locations in the north” at a sum of N1,750,000,000.
Another N2,100,000,000 was earmarked for the construction of rural road culverts and drainage in unnamed “selected locations in the federation,” while N210,000,000 was planned for the construction of an asphalt road at Sabuwar Kaurar Garba, Rano/Bunkure/Kibiya Federal Constituency in Kano.
All the projects were marked “ongoing” by the institute in the appropriation bill.
Transport analyst Dr Adewale Adebanjo expressed concerns about the road projects by the institute.
In an interview with The Guardian, Adebanjo wondered why a training institute like NITT would earmark about 25 per cent of its allocation for road construction while abdicating its primary duty of developing skilled manpower for the nation.
He called on the National Assembly to properly scrutinise the entire appropriation bill before its passage, noting that several other ministries and agencies may have padded their projects.
He said: “I don’t know when road construction became the primary duty of NITT. Is the institute now the Ministry of Works? How many states is NITT located in this country?
“The National Assembly should go beyond accelerated approval of the appropriation bill. If at all they wanted to be taken seriously, this is the time for the Assembly to properly scrutinise whatever document is before it.”
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