…Says Budget Targets Youth Reorientation in Bende By Gift Chapi Odekina, Abuja The Office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has denied reports that N1 billion was allocated in the proposed 2026 budget for the purchase of musical instruments for churches in Bende Federal Constituency, describing the claim as misleading. In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Deputy Speaker’s Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, the office said the provision was part of a broader Youth Re-orientation and Social Support Programme to be implemented through faith-based organisations across the constituency.
The statement clarified that the actual allocation was N780 million after Value Added Tax (VAT) and other statutory deductions, insisting that the fund was not meant solely for musical instruments. It explained that the programme was designed to support youth engagement initiatives in churches through the provision of equipment, including evangelical musical instruments and public address systems, to aid campaigns against drug abuse, sexual offences, violent crimes and other social vices. “The proposed allocation is actually N780 million after VAT and other tax deductions.
It is earmarked as a Youth Re-orientation and Social Support Programme delivered with an evangelistic approach through faith-based organisations in Bende Federal Constituency,” the statement said. According to the office, Bende Federal Constituency comprises 13 electoral wards and more than 200 churches, with the first phase of the intervention expected to cover about 130 churches — approximately 10 churches per ward. Each beneficiary church, it said, would receive between N5 million and N6 million to support youth-focused community outreach programmes.
The Deputy Speaker’s office argued that government interventions should go beyond physical infrastructure to include programmes that promote moral values, discipline and character development. “Nation-building must go beyond roads and physical infrastructure. Government must also invest in building the character and value system of the people who use the infrastructure through various value delivery platforms,” it stated.
The statement added that while the government supports traditional institutions through community engagement centres to preserve cultural values, faith-based organisations also play …
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