From Kenneth Udeh, Abuja
The Senate, on Tuesday, granted a fresh extension for the implementation of the capital component of the 2024 Appropriation Act to December 31, 2025.
Fiery contributions from lawmakers revealed deep frustration with the federal government’s failure to deliver critical infrastructure and services to Nigerians, with Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West) blaming it squarely on the executive’s growing obsession with 2027 politics.
The extension, which followed the passage of a bill sponsored by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (APC, Ogun West), was the second time the capital phase of the 2024 budget had been extended.
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The initial extension had shifted the deadline from December 31, 2024, to June 30, 2025, upon the request of President Bola Tinubu, to complete ongoing capital projects.
However, with no significant implementation achieved months later, the Senate once again extended the deadline, triggering a flurry of criticism, particularly from Senator Dickson, who accused the executive of abandoning governance in pursuit of political gains.
“Maybe there’s too much preoccupation with politics and 2027. Maybe there’s too much concentration on receiving defectors across the country.
“Because the business of the Nigerian people, of which we are all elected, including the President of the Federal Republic, is not moving forward,” Dickson declared on the floor of the Senate.
He expressed outrage that while the recurrent component of the budget, mainly salaries and bureaucratic expenses, had been fully released, the capital component, which directly benefits citizens and supports infrastructure, had not reached the people.
“Contractors who have done their jobs and committed their resources cannot be paid. The benefits of the budget we worked on have not reached the people,” he said. “It is a very sad situation. The competent one, the capital side, is what has not been released. And that is what goes to the people of Nigeria.”
Dickson emphasised that while he supported the extension “in principle,” the National Assembly must not ignore the underlying problem.
“Is it that we are not having enough money? We removed the fuel subsidy, meaning there is even more money. All other levels of government are receiving more.
“Some of us managed the economy during a recession for six years. Now revenue is better. So availability of money is not the challenge.
“The reason capital components have not moved is not because of a lack of funds,” Dickson said.
He demanded that the Senate Committee on Appropriations conduct an urgent investigation into the reasons behind the stalling of budget implementation.
“The committee must undertake an inquiry and report back to us,” Dickson said. “In the interest of the country, we need to pass this bill, but we must hold the system accountable.”
Other lawmakers echoed similar frustrations.
Senator Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Kebbi North), a former Senate Leader, said the credibility of the government was “collapsing” as contractors remained unpaid despite completing their work.
“The centralised payment system through the Accountant-General has failed. Ministries haven’t even received capital allocations. This government’s credibility is on the line, and people are losing confidence,” he said.
Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Tahir Monguno blamed the Ministry of Finance’s “bottom-to-top” budgeting approach, calling it a major bottleneck.
“It’s filled with bureaucratic red tape and must be reviewed. It is slowing down budget implementation and eroding public trust,” Monguno argued.
Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) recalled that the Senate leadership had been mandated in March to engage with the Minister of Finance and the Accountant-General on these concerns, yet “nothing has changed.”
“There are rumours that projects are being cherry-picked for funding. That’s unacceptable. The Appropriations Committee must investigate and report within two weeks,” Ningi said.
Minority Leader Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) added that many contractors are now unwilling to continue projects due to fear of non-payment.
“We are deceiving ourselves. The 2026 budget will soon be here, and we are still battling with 2024. The release of funds must be accelerated, and this payment system must be unbundled.”
Despite the criticisms, the Senate passed the bill after clause-by-clause consideration and voice vote, referring the matter to the Committees on Appropriations and Finance for further scrutiny.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, admitted that the issue was critical.
“Let me thank all of you for showing passion. The committees on Finance and Appropriations have already started engaging with relevant officials, but if this continues, we may have to escalate it directly to Mr President,” he said.
This latest extension of the 2024 budget means Nigeria is now operating two active budgets in the same fiscal year: the 2024 and 2025 budgets, an anomaly that raises serious questions about fiscal discipline and executive efficiency.
Although the initial justification for the first extension was to complete projects and optimise capital expenditure, lawmakers now say no progress has been made, and worse, the government’s priorities appear to be shifting from governance to political manoeuvring.
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