Reps blame delay in 2025 budget implementation on procurement process

Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Abubakar Bichi, on Wednesday, assured Nigerians that the Federal Government will soon commence the implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act.

Hon. Bichi gave the assurance in Abuja while providing an update on the closed-door meeting held with the Federal Government’s Economic Team led by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr Wale Edun.

While giving details of the session with the Ministers and other members of the Economic Team, the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee described the engagement as “fantastic.”

According to him, both parties “discussed the 2024-25 Appropriations Act. And you know Nigerians are really concerned about budget implementation, which is the core mandate of the National Assembly.

“We have engaged with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Budget, both of them acknowledged that, and they have agreed to work so hard so that at least Nigerians can see the progress of the budget.”

When asked whether lawmakers were satisfied with the level of implementation, Hon. Bichi said: “Basically, members are seriously concerned about that, and the Minister of Budget and the Minister of Finance also confirmed to us that Nigerians can see a lot of changes and developments from this budget.”

He, however, assured that the implementation of the 2024-25 Appropriations Acts will be carried out fully “as soon as possible. Before we reach 2026, you will see serious changes between now and the end of the year. They have acknowledged their progress to us, and let’s see how far we can go.”

On the possibility of a supplementary budget for 2025, Hon. Bichi responded negative, saying, “We didn’t discuss anything about a supplementary budget.”

Addressing some of the challenges affecting the implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act, he said, “No, the budget was approved in February. The procurement process takes time, and now they will start implementing it as soon as possible.”

When asked about the proposed timeline for the presentation of the 2026 budget estimates to the National Assembly, Hon. Bichi said: “I don’t know, honestly.”

The Minister was accompanied by the Director-General of the Budget Office, Ms Patience Oniha, the Accountant-General, Mr Shamsudeen Ogunjimi, and other senior government officials.

“As is customary, we reviewed the budget performance, looked at 2024, and overall it’s around 80%,” one of the officials said. “As you know, the budget for 2024 was extended by the National Assembly to December, so it is still running. It is still a work in progress, still ongoing. And likewise, we looked at what is happening in 2025, and we put heads together to ensure that, particularly the projects that touch the grassroots, that provide support, resources and facilities — the roads, irrigation, other infrastructure projects — are focused on and given adequate attention and priority.

“And it’s an ongoing discussion, it’s an ongoing implementation of the budget faithfully and fully.”

On his part, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, explained that “members of the National Assembly restated their appreciation of all the achievements under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and they commended the respect for the National Assembly and the excellent working relationship with the Federal Government.

“And they restated that they have supported all the major reform initiatives which have produced results, including the latest tax reforms.”

On the level of implementation of the two-budget cycle, Senator Bagudu noted that the 2024 Appropriation Act is still under implementation.

“The Committee and the Executive have interfaced, and we appreciate what we need to do better,” he said.

He, however, pointed out that the parties did not deliberate on the implementation of the Parliamentary budget line.

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