NITT Earmarks ₦8.7bn for Road Projects, Analysts Question Mandate Shift
The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) has set aside ₦8.77 billion for road construction projects across five northern states in the 2026 fiscal year, raising questions about the institute’s expanding role beyond its core mandate of manpower development.
The allocation is part of the 2026 appropriation bill of the Ministry of Transport, presented to the National Assembly in December 2025 by President Bola Tinubu.
NITT, a federal training institution tasked with developing skilled manpower for the road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors, received ₦37.19 billion in the budget, representing 8.6 per cent of the ministry’s ₦432.30 billion allocation.
The ₦8.77 billion earmarked for road construction accounts for 23.6 per cent of NITT’s total budgetary provision.
A breakdown of the projects shows ₦1.4 billion allocated to the Sabuwar Kasa–Kahutu–Kudan axis of Katsina State, listed as ongoing. Another ₦2.1 billion was designated for rural access roads in Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto, and Kebbi states, while ₦1.4 billion was set aside for farmers’ access roads across Sokoto, Katsina, and Kebbi.
Asphalt roads and drainage systems in selected northern locations will take ₦1.75 billion, and ₦2.1 billion was earmarked for rural road culverts and drainage nationwide. Additionally, ₦210 million was provided for an asphalt road project at Sabuwar Kaurar Garba in Kano State’s Rano/Bunkure/Kibiya Federal Constituency.
While the projects were all marked as ongoing, transport analyst Dr Adewale Adebanjo expressed concern over the scale of road construction being undertaken by NITT.
He argued that a training institution devoting nearly a quarter of its budget to road projects risks straying from its primary responsibility.
“I don’t know when road construction became the primary responsibility of NITT. Is the institute now the Ministry of Works?” Adebanjo asked, urging the National Assembly to scrutinise the appropriation bill thoroughly before passage.
Adebanjo warned that other ministries and agencies may have padded project allocations, stressing the need for lawmakers to move beyond routine approvals and critically examine budget proposals.
The debate underscores a broader tension between infrastructure delivery and institutional mandates, as NITT’s growing involvement in road construction raises questions about the balance between training, research, and direct project execution in Nigeria’s transport sector.
