TD The Office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has defended a controversial 2026 budget provision allocating ₦780 million for musical instruments and public address systems for churches in Bende Federal Constituency, Abia State.
Kalu insisted that the intervention is part of a broader youth reorientation and social support programme rather than a standalone church equipment project.
The clarification followed widespread criticism on social media after reports claimed that nearly ₦1 billion had been earmarked solely for the purchase of musical instruments for churches.
Critics questioned the priority of such spending at a time Nigeria is grappling with economic hardship, deteriorating infrastructure and other pressing national challenges.
Some social media users described the allocation as evidence that “Nigeria is a joke.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Deputy Speaker’s Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, the office said the reports had misrepresented the purpose and value of the budget item.
According to the statement, the actual allocation stands at ₦780 million after VAT and other tax deductions, not ₦1 billion as widely reported.
The office explained that the funding is designated for Youth Re-orientation and Social Support Programmes to be delivered through faith-based organisations across Bende Federal Constituency.
It said Bende comprises 13 federal electoral wards and more than 200 churches.
Under the first phase of the programme, about 130 churches—roughly 10 churches in each ward—would receive support averaging between ₦5 million and ₦6 million each.
The funds, according to the statement, are intended to procure evangelical musical instruments and public address systems that churches would use to expand youth engagement activities, organise community outreach programmes and campaign against social vices such as drug abuse, sexual offences and violent crime.
The Deputy Speaker’s office argued that the initiative seeks to strengthen moral instruction, discipline, peaceful coexistence and character development among young people through trusted community institutions.
Defending the proposal, the statement stressed that nation-building extends beyond physical infrastructure.
“Government must also invest in building the character and value system of the people who use the infrastructure,” the statement said.
It added that faith-based organisations provide effective platforms for promoting peace, unity and social cohesion.
It further noted that government has historically supported traditional institutions with town halls and community engagement centres to preserve cultural values.
Kalu argued that churches should similarly be supported because of their role in shaping societal values.
The statement also maintained that similar faith-based youth development initiatives have been adopted in other parts of Nigeria and that the programme seeks to introduce and strengthen that approach within the South-East.
Addressing concerns over implementation, the Deputy Speaker’s office clarified that the 2026 budget has not yet taken effect.
It noted that Nigeria is still operating under the 2024 and 2025 budgets.
It stated that no funds have been released and no procurement process has commenced.
Churches selected for the programme, it added, would only be notified after all procurement procedures have been completed.
The office also disclosed that it had identified what it described as a technical error in the procurement description and had initiated a corrigendum through the Budget Office and the National Assembly’s appropriation committee to correct the wording before implementation.
The statement insisted that the intervention “is not about instruments alone” but about leveraging churches as community institutions to drive youth reorientation, moral instruction and social development.
However, the explanation has done little to quell public debate, with many Nigerians continuing to question the appropriateness of allocating hundreds of millions of naira to religious projects amid ongoing economic pressures, insecurity and infrastructure deficits.
The budget item has also drawn attention because it forms part of broader allocations reportedly running into several billions of naira for religious-related projects in the proposed 2026 budget, raising fresh discussions over government spending priorities and accountability.
