Chief Chekwas Okorie, the founding National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has formally requested that the National Assembly conduct a probe into the ₦22.15 billion earmarked in the 2026 budget for building and refurbishing religious centers and palaces.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, Okorie emphasized that this budgetary provision requires immediate transparency. He expressed concern over how these funds were incorporated into the budgets of various agencies and parastatals, arguing that such actions lack proper justification and oversight.
The APGA leader criticized the National Assembly for passing this allocation during a period of significant economic hardship for the average citizen. He maintained that the federal government should not be funding the welfare or administration of traditional monarchs, as those responsibilities belong to local and state authorities.
Furthermore, Okorie called for a retrospective analysis to see if such expenditures have appeared in previous budgets without public notice. He encouraged anti-corruption bodies, the media, and civil society groups to keep a close watch on the 2026 budget execution to prevent the misappropriation of government resources.
