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By Uche Usim
The federal government has allocated N175.84 billion in the 2025 budget to drive key national priorities bordering on workforce welfare, infrastructure development and strategic asset protection.
A breakdown shows that N146.14 billion was budgeted as counterpart funding for the Lagos Green Line Metro Rail project, a 68km rail network that will stretch from the Lekki Free Zone to the Marina, connecting key areas of Lagos, including Victoria Island, Lekki and Ajah.
More so, N17,313,619,734 has been set aside for Group Life Assurance coverage.
The initiative will benefit employees of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and critical security agencies such as the Department of State Services (DSS).
The proposed 2025 budget also includes N12,420,122,743 for the insurance of ‘sensitive assets,’ representing a crucial move to safeguard critical infrastructure and resources in the face of rising risks.
The allocation aims to provide financial protection for essential government properties, facilities and systems crucial to the nation’s operational stability. It covers vital infrastructure, IT systems and other strategically significant resources, all of which face growing threats, from natural disasters to vandalism and cyberattacks.
Alongside this, the budget dedicates substantial funds to other critical sectors, including N4.06 trillion for infrastructure, N3.52 trillion for education, and N2.48 trillion for health, which many analysts said reflects a comprehensive approach to national resilience and development.
On securing sensitive national assets, social scientists are advising the federal government to focus strongly on the national grid, which has come under sustained attacks in recent months.
The concomitant effects have been horrendous, with the citizens suffering scathing blackouts amid traumatising financial losses for businesses.
In 2024, Nigeria’s power sector grappled with significant setbacks, including an alarming 12 collapses of the national grid and the destruction of 128 transmission towers, highlighting the vulnerable state of the country’s energy infrastructure.
However, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, recently clarified that the tormenting blackouts experienced during the year were not solely the result of grid collapses but were largely due to sabotage and vandalism of key power infrastructure under his ministry’s jurisdiction.
He emphasised the deliberate and malicious actions that have undermined efforts to ensure stable electricity supply across the country, further complicating the sector’s challenges.
On the federal government’s N146.14 billion counterpart funding for the Lagos Green Line Metro Rail project, the money will be allocated to the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), which will manage the funds on behalf of the Ministry of Transport to advance the project’s development.
The allocation is part of the proposed N49.74 trillion budget for the 2025 fiscal year and falls within the Ministry of Transport’s overall budget of N256.73 billion, aimed at supporting its key initiatives.
