Reps accuse the Tinubu government of poor implementation of the 2024–2025 budgets and vow not to consider the 2026 Appropriation Bill until the 2024–2025 budgets are fully implemented.
The House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, over what lawmakers described as the “embarrassingly poor” implementation of the capital components of the 2024 and 2025 federal budgets.
Both ministers, along with the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, appeared before the House during a closed-door session on Tuesday.
A lawmaker who attended the meeting said that the discussions centred on the government’s failure to release funds for already-executed projects, despite repeated concerns raised by legislators.
2026 budget on hold until debts are cleared
Following the session, the House resolved not to consider the 2026 Appropriation Bill when transmitted by President Bola Tinubu until all outstanding payments owed to contractors under the 2024 and 2025 budget cycles are settled.
In protest, lawmakers stepped down consideration of 42 bills slated for various readings and also postponed the presentation of committee reports for several proposed tertiary institutions.
For the third time, the chamber also suspended consideration of the constitution review report submitted last week.
The closed-door meeting lasted nearly two and a half hours and ended without a formal briefing to journalists.
‘This is embarrassing’ — Lawmakers
A member familiar with the deliberations said the lawmakers were furious.
“Projects executed have not been paid for. This is really embarrassing. We won’t touch the 2026 budget until these funding gaps are addressed,” he said.
According to him, the Accountant-General pleaded for 48 hours to begin settling outstanding payments to local contractors.
However, many lawmakers reportedly remained sceptical.
Edo lawmaker Billy Osawaru noted that many contractors had obtained bank loans to execute government projects.
“They deserve to be paid. The executive must restore its integrity,” he said.
Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda also faulted the performance of the budgets, saying only full implementation could restore public confidence.
House spokesman Akin Rotimi added that members were “deeply displeased” with the slow pace of capital releases but expressed hope that recent engagements with the executive would lead to improvements.
Economist: Government is distorting the budget process
Former Zenith Bank Chief Economist, Marcel Okeke, condemned the Federal Government’s handling of the budget cycle since 2023.
He described the concurrent running of multiple budgets as a “violation of due process” and warned that the distortions were damaging macroeconomic planning at both federal and state levels.
“Budget is a law meant to be implemented within a specific time frame.
Rolling budgets over is a joke. This opens the door to corruption,
emergency spending and arbitrary decisions,”
Okeke said.
He noted that even though the Buhari administration had many shortcomings, it maintained the January–December budget cycle, which gave predictability to economic planning.
The House is expected to resume its regular legislative activities today (Wednesday), though lawmakers insist that oversight on budget implementation will intensify.
