Nigeria's Senate extends 2025 budget implementation again, contradicting presidential pledges

Nigeria's Senate has once again extended the implementation period for the capital component of the 2025 federal budget, pushing the deadline to September 30, 2026. This marks the third time the budget's capital expenditure has seen its lifespan prolonged beyond the fiscal year, despite repeated promises from President Bola Tinubu's administration to end the practice of operating overlapping budgets.

The latest extension was announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a plenary session. While no formal request came from the Presidency, it is widely believed that such a legislative move would not occur without the administration's implicit approval. The budget was initially set to expire on March 31, 2026, but was first extended to June 30, 2026, and now further to September 30, 2026.

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Despite substantial releases made by the federal government to ministries, departments, and agencies for the execution of approved projects and programmes, a significant proportion of the first release remains unutilised due to procurement timelines, project implementation challenges, and other administrative processes.

These extensions are ostensibly to allow federal ministries, departments, and agencies sufficient time to complete ongoing projects. Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno, who sponsored the bill, argued that despite substantial fund releases, a significant portion remains unutilized due to procurement timelines and implementation challenges. He stressed that many projects require additional time and funding for completion.

However, these extensions directly contradict President Tinubu's public pledges. In December 2025, while presenting the 2026 budget, he assured Nigerians that the practice of running multiple budgets would cease, promising that all outstanding capital liabilities would be settled by March 31, 2026. Similarly, Wale Edun, the then Minister of Finance, had pledged in October 2025 to end budget implementation extensions. The repeated deferrals raise questions about the government's fiscal management and its commitment to budgetary discipline.

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We’re terminating the habit of running three budgets in one flow. By March 31, 2026, all capital liabilities from previous years will be fully funded and closed. From April, Nigeria will operate on a single budget.