Tempers flared at the National Assembly as the House of Representatives blasted key members of President Bola Tinubu’s economic team over what lawmakers described as shocking zero releases for capital projects in the 2025 budget.
The House Committee on Appropriation summoned Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, and Chairman of the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), Zach Adedeji, to explain the non-performance of the budget despite improved revenue figures.
Lawmakers queried why no capital funds had been released to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), grounding projects and crippling economic activities across sectors.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Abubakar Bichi, said the interface was necessary to probe the non-release of funds for capital projects, even after the National Assembly approved a N1.15 trillion request from the executive to fund parts of the 2025 capital budget.
“In 2025 we achieved about N28 trillion revenue from a target of N25 trillion. Nigerians deserve to know why projects are not being funded despite this performance,” Bichi said.
But the session turned rowdy when lawmakers, apparently dissatisfied with the explanations offered, openly called on Edun and other members of the economic team to resign over alleged incompetence.
Defending the government’s position, Edun said the administration halted what he described as an “unsustainable” practice of printing money to service debts and meet obligations, noting that the government was transitioning to a more transparent fiscal system.
He explained that Nigeria’s debt profile rose significantly due to adjustments, including exchange rate reforms that moved the country from an opaque forex regime to a market-driven system.
On his part, Bagudu revealed that the National Assembly had earlier approved the rollover of 70 per cent of the 2025 capital budget into 2026, forming part of the current budget proposal before lawmakers. He also distanced his ministry from direct responsibility for budget implementation data, saying it relies on figures from the Office of the Accountant-General and the Ministry of Finance.
Meanwhile, NRS boss Adedeji insisted the agency exceeded its 2025 revenue target, generating N28.23 trillion against the N25.2 trillion projection.
The uproar followed earlier revelations by the Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, who disclosed that his ministry received only N38 million out of the N286 billion allocated for 2025 — a situation many lawmakers described as alarming.
The crisis deepened in January when the Association of Indigenous Contractors in Nigeria barricaded the Finance Ministry, protesting the non-payment of over N4 trillion for contracts executed under the 2024 budget.
Bichi eventually restored calm, adjourning the sitting till Thursday and summoning the Minister of State for Finance to appear before the committee.
For many observers, the heated session underscored growing concerns over budget implementation and its impact on the nation’s struggling economy.
Reps Explode Over ‘Zero Capital Releases’, Grill Tinubu’s Economic Team
