Again, Senate extends 2025 budget implementation after Tinubu’s failed promise

The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday extended the implementation period of the capital component of the 2025 budget from 30 September to 31 December 2026.

The upper chamber approved the extension during plenary after considering a bill seeking to amend the implementation period of the budget.

The House of Representatives had earlier in the day extended life of the budget.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the passage of the bill after it was read for the first, second and third times on the same day and supported by the majority of the senators.

The bill was earlier considered by the Senate Committee on Supply.

Tuesday’s extension is the fourth time lawmakers have extended the implementation period of the capital component of the 2025 budget.

The implementation period was initially scheduled to end on 31 December 2025 but was first extended to 31 March 2026 to allow the federal government to complete ongoing projects captured in the budget.

When that deadline expired on 31 March, lawmakers extended the implementation period to 30 June 2026 for the same reason.

In June, when the second extension expired, the lawmakers again extended the implementation period to 30 September.

Repeated extension of the capital component of budgets has been a source of concern since the Bola Tinubu administration assumed office.

Lawmakers and economic analysts have repeatedly criticised the practice.

Tinubu’s promise

On 9 October 2025, the former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Finance during its consideration of the 2025 budget performance, pledged that the government would end the practice of extending budget implementation beyond the fiscal year.

In December 2025, President Bola Tinubu also promised to end the practice of operating overlapping budgets while presenting the 2026 budget before a joint session of the National Assembly.

Mr Tinubu assured Nigerians that by 31 March 2026, all capital liabilities would have been fully funded and closed.

“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,” the president promised.

The latest extension, however, means that the capital component of the 2025 budget will remain open until the end of 2026, indicating that the government has not met the timeline outlined by the president.

The debate

The appropriation bill seeking the extension was presented by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central).

Mr Bamidele said the extension was necessary to give ministries, departments and agencies sufficient time to complete capital projects for which funds had already been appropriated and released.

“The objective before us is straightforward: to protect ongoing public investments, facilitate the completion of critical projects, prevent avoidable waste of public resources and maximise the value derivable from funds already appropriated and released,” Mr Bamidele said.

He argued that allowing the current deadline to lapse without an extension could create difficulties for MDAs and increase the risk of projects being abandoned or left incomplete.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, also described the bill as necessary to prevent the proliferation of abandoned projects across the country.

Mr Jibrin, who represents Kano North Senatorial District, said extending the implementation period would give the government an opportunity to complete projects initiated under the 2025 appropriation rather than allow them to remain unfinished because of the expiration of the statutory deadline.

The Minority Leader,Abba Moro, also supported the extension but cautioned senators against turning the debate into an avenue for blaming previous administrations.

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Mr Moro, who represents Benue South Senatorial District, said failure to extend the implementation period could delay projects and, in some cases, contribute to their abandonment.

He, however, urged lawmakers to avoid political comparisons while debating matters affecting national development.

“We agree that extending the budget will enable the government to implement these projects. But to say, for instance, that the non-implementation of budgets extends beyond the administration of the APC government is actually being unfair,” Mr Moro said.

He urged lawmakers to focus on measures that would enable the government to implement its programmes and projects.

After the debate, Mr Akpabio put the bill to a voice vote, and the majority of lawmakers voted in favour of the extension.