The senator expressed concerns that the National Assembly was compelled to roll over 70 percent of the 2025 budget into 2026 after the executive failed to execute the spending plan as expected.

Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, who represents Borno North Senatorial District, has openly challenged the President Bola Tinubu-led administration over the delayed implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act, declaring that failure to implement an approved budget amounts to a breach of the law and constitutes "an impeachable offence." 

Monguno made the remarks on Monday during an engagement with the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, where he demanded explanations for the government's failure to implement the 2025 budget despite the National Assembly extending its lifespan.

The senator expressed concerns that the National Assembly was compelled to roll over 70 percent of the 2025 budget into 2026 after the executive failed to execute the spending plan as expected.

According to him, lawmakers had initially agreed that at least 30 percent of the 2025 budget would be implemented before March, but even that target was not achieved. 

Addressing the Finance Minister, Monguno questioned where government revenues were being spent if budget implementation had virtually stalled. 

"Honourable Minister, I have listened carefully to your brief and the very beautiful figures that you have reeled out. Why are these revenues going to?" the senator asked.

"If the budget, for example, 2025 budget has not been implemented and we have to roll over 70% of 2025 to 2026 and that we promised that 30% will be implemented before March. Up to March, even 30% was not implemented.

"National Assembly has to extend the lifespan of the budget up to September to allow government to implement just 30% component of 2025 budget.

"The issue of 2026 has not arisen completely. Has not arisen. Has not even started at initial. It has not even arisen.

"So, don't you think, is it not contradictory? Or why are these revenues going to? To the extent that the budget is not being implemented."

Monguno stressed that the purpose of government was to deliver the dividends of democracy through budget implementation, warning that citizens would not benefit from governance if approved projects and programmes remained unfunded.

"It is through the implementation of the budget that dividends of democracy is being brought to the doorsteps of the people. If the budget is not being implemented, what is the function of government?

"For example, security of lives and property of the people is the primacy of governance. All the security agencies that we have interacted with, they are reporting to us that they have received zero allocation in terms of their capital."

The lawmaker then raised concerns over the Federation Account revenue distribution, questioning why the Federal Government allegedly retained N1.7trillion out of N3.7trillion received last month instead of distributing the entire amount to the three tiers of government.

"Why are these monies going to? This is my question. Why is budget not implemented? Because it is a breach of the law and it is an impeachable offence.

"Then about N3.7trillion was received last month and only N2trillion was disbursed to the three tiers of government.

"About N1.7trillion was retained. Why? Why is it that N1.7trillion was retained? Why not disburse all the N3.7 trillion to the three tiers of government? This is my question. Thank you."

Responding to the senator's questions, Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele said there was a need to clarify public perceptions regarding government borrowing and debt figures. 

According to him, approvals granted by the National Assembly for external loans are often wrongly interpreted as actual funds already borrowed.

"I think there is a need for some clarification in terms of how debt numbers are reported," Oyedele said.

"First, for external loans, we always need the approval of the National Assembly. What tends to happen is, when we get the approval of the National Assembly, the media will rightly report it.

"Many people take that as money borrowed. When we now borrow the money, they report it again.

"I think it was last year when the National Assembly approved about $20 billion, which was based on the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).

"People adopt those big numbers as the money we have borrowed. That is misleading in terms of the analysis.

"We are currently finalising this breakdown in the Ministry of Finance.

"We will make it available to the public. It will show how much the National Assembly approved, how much of that we have actually borrowed, and how it has been spent."  

Source: SaharaReporters