…As Senators cry out over paucity of funds for committees
Lawmakers in the Senate on Friday faulted President Bola Tinubu’s March 31 deadline for ending multiple budget implementations, warning that unpaid capital releases and outstanding debts to contractors could derail the plan.
The senators said several components of the 2024 and 2025 budgets remain unfunded, raising concerns over the feasibility of commencing a single-budget regime from April 1, 2026, as announced by the President.
On December 19, while presenting the 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly, Tinubu declared that Nigeria would no longer tolerate overlapping fiscal years.
“There will no longer be rolling over of budgets,” the President said. “All existing budgets will be concluded by March 2026. Nigeria will operate one budget in one year.”
Raising the concerns, Oyewunmi Olalere (Osun West), the Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate, said, “The promise of single budget implementation from April 1 is being threatened because parts of the capital component of the 2024 budget, in terms of contract execution, have not been paid, not to talk of the 30 per cent capital component of the 2025 budget expected to expire by March 31.”
He noted that with January 30 already gone, only two months remain to clear outstanding obligations from both the 2024 and 2025 budgets.
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Olalere said, “Mr Chairman, a lot needs to be done between now and next month by your committee and critical stakeholders to prevent the continuation of multiple budget implementation.”
Corroborating him, Senator Francis Fadaunsi (Osun East) said debts arising from the 2024 budget were yet to be settled, noting that affected contractors were still protesting.
“I concur with my colleague from our state on the yet-to-be-fully implemented 2024 budget because affected contractors are still carrying placards around. This committee must reach out to critical stakeholders to tidy up the 2024 and 2025 budgets before April 1, 2026,” Fadaunsi said.
The concerns were raised during a meeting between the Senate Committee on Appropriations and chairmen of various standing committees, where senators also decried the paucity of funds available to run legislative committees.
Leading the outcry on committee funding, Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) disclosed that since the inauguration of the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission, no funds have been released to enable it function.
“Mr Chairman, you have read out the timetable for the various committees to consider the 2026 budget, but the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission, which I belong to, does not have money to organise meetings with any agency due to zero allocation since its formation and inauguration,” Ani said.
He added that other Senate committees overseeing zonal development commissions were also yet to receive funding, questioning how such committees could function effectively under the circumstances.
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Backing Ani’s position, Titus Zam (Benue North West), Chairman of the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission, warned that the enthusiasm which greeted the creation of the commissions was fast turning into frustration.
“The lack of funding for committees on zonal development commissions in the Senate is gradually turning the excitement that heralded their creation into disappointment and even lamentation,” Zam said.
However, Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) urged restraint, advising his colleagues to await the full details of the proposed N58.472 trillion 2026 budget before drawing conclusions.
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Following Oshiomhole’s intervention, Adeola Solomon (Ogun West), the Chairman of the Committee, called for an executive session and requested journalists to excuse the meeting.
