Influence of Budgetary Planning and Control on Performance of National Social Intervention Programs in Selected North‑Western States, Nigeria

Abstract

This study explored the influence of budgetary planning and control on the performance of national social intervention programs in selected North-Western States, Nigeria. Descriptive statistic, bootstrapping and PLS-SEM were used as techniques of data analysis. The population of the study comprises 23 officials from the Account, Audit, Cash, and Monitoring and Evaluation units of the Social Investment Program Agency of the State Operating Coordinating Unit (SOCU), along with 12,771 beneficiaries of the N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), and Government Enterprises and Empowerment Programs (GEEPs) from Jigawa and Katsina State. For the total number of population, Yaro Yamane’s formula was used to arrive at a sample size of 388 respondents. The analysis is based on data collected from the officials and beneficiaries of the programs with the help of structured closed-ended questionnaire from 2016 to 2025. The findings reveal that budgetary planning and control has positive and insignificant relationship with performance of national social intervention programs in selected North-Western States, Nigeria. Therefore, the study recommends strengthening NSIP performance through strict budget compliance, real-time digital monitoring and disbursement systems such as GIFMIS, sanctions against fund diversion, and system-wide reforms that ensure consistent funding, and improved financial management capacity across all program units in selected North-Western States, Nigeria.