PDP Doherty highlights alleged inaccuracies and weak fiscal transparency in proposed budget
Lagos State governorship aspirant Funso Doherty of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has criticised Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s N4.237 trillion 2026 budget proposal, alleging numerical inaccuracies, weak fiscal transparency, and questionable spending priorities.
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Doherty outlined his concerns in an open letter dated 11 December 2025, addressed to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The letter highlights discrepancies in the proposed budget, noting that the recurrent expenditure of N2.052 trillion reportedly includes N383 billion earmarked for debt servicing, which Doherty argues should be classified as capital expenditure.
He also noted that sectoral allocations sum to roughly N3.4 trillion, falling short of the total budget figure, suggesting potential misreporting.
Doherty further criticised what he described as a lack of transparency, claiming the public is routinely denied access to detailed budget documents until after legislative approval.
He expressed concern over consultancy and professional services, which allegedly account for nearly 15 per cent of recurrent expenditure, questioning the justification for such large-scale spending.
The PDP aspirant also challenged the government’s spending priorities, arguing that critical social sectors—including education, health, housing, and water supply—receive only 17 per cent of total expenditure over five years.
He described the 2025 capital allocation to the Lagos State House of Assembly alone as exceeding combined funding for health and education, a situation he said has contributed to poor public school outcomes, persistent housing shortages, and under-five mortality.
Doherty also warned that overly optimistic revenue forecasts, with projected 2026 revenue of N4.237 trillion compared with actual revenue of N2.07 trillion as of September 2025, undermine planning and execution of state programmes.
The Lagos State House of Assembly has passed the appropriation bill through second reading and referred it to the House Committee on Economic Planning and Budget for detailed scrutiny, with a report due in five weeks.
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Efforts to obtain a response from the Lagos State Government were unsuccessful, with Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Gboyega Akosile unavailable at the time of filing.
