Financial analyst Kalu Aja has criticized the Nigerian government's 2025 budget allocation for streetlights, stating that with N393.29 billion earmarked for the project, Nigeria should be the "Light of the World."

Aja made these comments on Monday via his X (formerly Twitter) account in response to BudgIT's recent revelation about project insertions by the National Assembly in the 2025 budget.

"With the amount of 'streetlights' in this 2025 budget, Nigeria is supposed to be the light of the world. 1,477 streetlights for N393.29 billion, that's N266 million per light. Are we installing the sun?" Aja wrote.

The financial expert's comments highlight concerns about the cost efficiency of government projects, with each streetlight allegedly costing approximately N266 million according to his calculations.

Last week, BudgIT, a civic organization focused on government transparency, disclosed that the National Assembly inserted 11,122 projects worth N6.93 trillion into the 2025 budget of N54.99 trillion. These insertions have raised questions about budget padding and the effectiveness of government spending.

The 2025 budget, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, has been described by some government supporters as a catalyst for job creation and industrialization. However, critics point to these large allocations for seemingly basic infrastructure as evidence of misplaced priorities.

This is not the first time Nigeria's budgetary allocations have come under scrutiny. According to reports, successive yearly budgets have contained several project insertions by the National Assembly that have had little or no impact on addressing the country's infrastructural deficit.

As Nigeria continues to face economic challenges, including power generation issues with reports of 2,000MW of electricity generation capacity stranded due to N600 billion debt, questions about spending priorities remain at the forefront of public discourse.