2025 Budget: Shock as Advertising Council Budgets N1.05 Billion for Bridge Project in Ebonyi

In a development that has raised eyebrows and sparked public concern, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has allocated N1.05 billion for the construction of a bridge in Ebonyi Central Senatorial District—a move critics have described as both shocking and a clear aberration of the agency’s core mandate.

The Amagu-Ekwakoke link bridge project is listed as a new capital expenditure in the 2025 Appropriation Act and was uncovered in the approved budget released by the Budget Office of the Federation. Despite the substantial allocation, the document contains no details on the project’s scope, the executing agency, or a timeline for implementation.

ARCON, a federal body tasked with regulating advertising in Nigeria, received a total budget of N3.85 billion for 2025, including N2.23 billion for capital projects and N1.62 billion for recurrent costs. The Ebonyi bridge stands out as the most expensive item in its capital budget—accounting for over half of the total capital allocation.

The inclusion of a major infrastructure project under the budget of an advertising regulator has raised serious questions about the integrity of budget planning and the potential misuse of agency mandates for unrelated expenditures.

The 2025 budget, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on February 28, totals N54.99 trillion—almost double the 2024 figure. It was approved by the National Assembly following adjustments to the president’s initial N49.7 trillion proposal.

On Tuesday, BudgIT, a civic tech organisation, revealed it had uncovered 11,122 projects worth N6.93 trillion inserted into the budget by the National Assembly. The group described the trend as a disturbing evolution of budgetary abuse, warning that what began as isolated irregularities has become a deeply entrenched system of exploitation by influential lawmakers.