The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has defended the controversial ₦1 billion allocation for church-related projects in his Bende Federal Constituency, but his explanation has done little to allay concerns and has instead intensified questions about the spending priorities of Nigeria’s political class under the Bola Tinubu administration.
Kalu argued that the allocation is not simply for the purchase of musical instruments for churches. According to him, it is a “Youth Re-orientation and Social Support Programme” that would be implemented through an evangelistic approach by churches in Bende Federal Constituency. He said about 130 churches would receive between ₦5 million and ₦6 million each to procure evangelical equipment, public address systems and other materials to support campaigns against drug abuse, sexual offences, violent crime and other social vices.
After carefully considering his argument, I find the explanation unpersuasive. If anything, it further underscores why the national budget deserves closer public scrutiny.
The key question remains: Why should public funds be used to finance evangelistic activities in churches?
Nigeria is a secular state. While religion occupies an important place in the lives of many citizens, government resources belong to everyone, including Christians, Muslims, adherents of traditional religions and those with no religious affiliation. Public funds should be used for programmes that serve all citizens without religious preference.
Providing churches with evangelical equipment and public address systems, regardless of the stated objective, falls outside what many Nigerians would reasonably expect to be funded through the national budget.
Some of Kalu’s supporters, particularly on social media, have argued that religious organisations contribute to education, healthcare, humanitarian services and the development of responsible citizens, and therefore deserve government support. While that may be true, it does not address the central issue. The real question is whether constituency projects should be used to fund evangelistic programmes under the guise of youth development.
If the government believes youth re-orientation is necessary, it already has ministries, schools, vocational centres and community development programmes capable of carrying out that responsibility without favouring one religious platform over another.
