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Reps Summon Ministers Over Budget Underperformance
The House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Mr Atiku Bagudu, over poor budget implementation.
The House on Tuesday held a closed-door session with Edun, Bagudu, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi; and the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji.
A lawmaker who attended the session told The PUNCH in confidence that the meeting focused on the poor implementation of the capital components of the 2024 and 2025 budgets. He said lawmakers expressed deep frustration over the government’s failure to release funds for projects already executed.
As a result, the House resolved not to consider the 2026 Appropriation Bill until the Federal Government clears outstanding payments owed to contractors under the 2024 and 2025 budget cycles.
In protest, the House stepped down consideration of about 42 bills listed for first, second, and third readings. It also deferred the presentation of four committee reports on bills proposing the establishment of agricultural colleges and specialised institutions in Kaduna, Edo, and other states.
For the third time, the House also suspended its planned consideration of the constitution review report submitted last week by the Committee on Constitution Review.
The executive session lasted nearly two and a half hours and ended without an official briefing.
However, a member familiar with the discussions said the lawmakers were dissatisfied with what they described as President Bola Tinubu’s poor budget performance so far.
He said, “It was the same issue of poor implementation of the 2024 and 2025 budgets. I mean the capital component of the budgets. Projects executed have not been paid for, and this is really embarrassing.
“We have been on this for a while now, and despite the assurances we got today, many of us took it with a pinch of salt because the assurances are not new. Members were so angry that they vowed not to consider the 2026 Appropriation Bill when it is transmitted by the president unless the funding gaps in the previous budgets of this administration are addressed.”
He added that the Accountant-General pleaded for time to settle the outstanding payments. “The Accountant-General pleaded with lawmakers to be given 48 hours to address the concern of local contractors. As representatives of the people, we granted this request. But I can tell you that some of us are not optimistic,” he said.
In a separate interview, Edo lawmaker Billy Osawaru urged the Federal Government to prioritise payments to contractors, stressing that many had taken loans to execute the projects.
He said, “Since the contractors have fulfilled their obligations by executing the 2024 projects, they deserve to be paid, considering the fact that the majority of them secured loans using collateral. The executive must restore its integrity by prioritising these payments.”
The Minority Leader of the House, Kingsley Chinda, also condemned the poor level of implementation, saying full execution of the budgets was necessary to restore public confidence. “The only solution is for a commencement of full implementation of the budgets,” the Rivers lawmaker said in a telephone interview.
Similarly, the House spokesman, Akin Rotimi, said members were displeased with the government’s indebtedness to local contractors. He, however, expressed hope that recent engagements with the executive would yield improved capital releases.
He said, “As parliamentarians, we are concerned about the poor implementation of the capital component of the 2024 and 2025 budgets. Capital projects are essential to national development because they create jobs, improve infrastructure, and strengthen local economies.
“When releases are delayed or insufficient, progress slows and public confidence drops. We have been engaging with the executive and have received assurances that capital releases will improve.
“Our priority is to ensure the budget delivers real value to Nigerians, and we will continue strong oversight and collaboration to clear bottlenecks, improve cash-flow planning, and ensure capital projects are executed efficiently and transparently.”
Former Chief Economist at Zenith Bank Plc, Mr Marcel Okeke, criticised the Federal Government’s budget administration since 2023, describing the concurrent running of multiple budgets as a violation of due process.
He said, “What this (budget distortions) tells us is that the Federal Government is not living up to expectations. The discussion of the budget is another way of discussing the economy. Budget is an annual plan and it is a law meant to be implemented within a specific time frame.
“If the Federal Government is distorting this time frame, it means that the government is not serious. Every budget of a given year is done based on assumptions. The assumptions on which the 2024 budget was prepared are different from those of the 2025 budget, and the ones of 2025 will not be the same as those of 2026. They are messing everything up now,” he lamented.
He warned that the lapses at the federal level negatively affect the states. “The state governments usually take cues from the Federal Government’s presentation and assumptions. The state governments don’t control oil. It is the Federal Government that announces the volume of oil production and assumptions for the budget,” he said.
Okeke, while criticising the Buhari administration, noted that it at least maintained the January–December budget cycle. “The rolling of budgets is a joke on the running of the economy. The Buhari-led government was a failure, but if it did anything well, it was the issue of restoring the January-December budget cycle.
“As economic agents—households, families, etc—look up to the government framework every year, so that as a person, you will begin to plan. What this whole thing means is that instead of things being done according to law, they will be done according to somebody’s caprices.
“The way things are stated in the budget will no longer necessarily be the way they will be implemented. There would be all kinds of corruption, embezzlement, and malfeasance because everything becomes an emergency,” he said.
The House is expected to resume normal plenary today (Wednesday).
The Federal Government has approved an increase in the feeding allowance provided for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) during their orientation course, with implementation expected to begin in 2027.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this while addressing members of the 2026 Batch C, Stream One corps members at the Cross River State Orientation Camp in Obubra.
Nafiu said the Budget Office had been informed of the upward review of the feeding budget.
He explained that the adjustment was expected to take effect next year, although the specific amount of the increase was not disclosed.
The development comes amid ongoing discussions about the welfare of Nigerian youths participating in the national service scheme.
Recall the Federal Government had began implementing reforms in the NYSC, Politics Nigeria earlier reported.
Feeding is an essential part of the orientation programme, during which corps members undergo military drills, lectures, physical exercises and other activities designed to prepare them for the service year.
The proposed increase is expected to provide additional support for feeding arrangements at orientation camps.
However, details regarding the revised allocation and how much additional funding each corps member would receive were not provided during the announcement.
Beyond the feeding allowance, the NYSC Director-General urged the corps members to develop sound financial habits and prepare responsibly for life after the service year.
He advised them to avoid unnecessary spending, exercise restraint in their financial decisions and cultivate the habit of saving.
Nafiu also commended the corps members for their resilience and willingness to serve the country, noting the importance of their contributions to national development.
He encouraged them to make responsible choices throughout their service year and take advantage of opportunities that could improve their future prospects.
The Director-General placed particular emphasis on the safety of corps members travelling between their places of residence, orientation camps and places of primary assignment.
He advised them to avoid travelling late in the evening, recommending that they stop their journeys after 6 p.m. and continue the following day.
He warned against the practice of resting in exposed public places or sleeping in groups at filling stations while travelling, noting that such situations could make corps members easy to identify.
“Refrain from resting in public places and avoid sleeping in groups at filling stations, as this makes you easily identifiable.
“Proceed to military installations, police stations or DSS offices, and contact the NYSC hotline,” he advised.
Nafiu further assured the corps members that efforts would be intensified to engage relevant stakeholders in addressing infrastructure needs at the Obubra Orientation Camp.
He said there would be further engagement with stakeholders to support the establishment and rehabilitation of facilities at the camp.
The condition of orientation camp facilities remains an important aspect of corps members’ welfare, as the camps provide accommodation, feeding, training and other essential services during the initial phase of national service.
Improved infrastructure can also support the delivery of orientation activities and help create a more suitable environment for corps members and camp officials.
The NYSC chief also encouraged the participants to acquire practical skills that could improve their employability and provide alternative sources of income after their service year.
He urged them to look beyond their academic qualifications and use the orientation period to consider additional areas of personal and professional development.
“Acquire skills in fields that will benefit you, such as cosmetology, traditional hairstyling techniques and similar disciplines,” he said.
The Director-General’s visit also provided an opportunity for camp officials to brief him on activities and conditions at the Cross River State Orientation Camp.
National Youth Service Corps NYSC
National Youth Service Corps NYSC
Presenting an assessment of the camp, the NYSC Cross River State Coordinator, Mrs Adejoke Oyenuga, described the visit as a demonstration of the Director-General’s commitment to the welfare of corps members.
Oyenuga disclosed that 1,064 corps members had been registered at the camp.
She added that the participants had successfully adapted to the structured environment and routine of the orientation programme.
The registration figure reflects the number of corps members recorded at the camp during the period covered by the assessment.
The orientation exercise is intended to familiarise participants with the objectives of the NYSC scheme, encourage discipline and teamwork, and prepare them for their subsequent deployment to places of primary assignment.
The proposed increase in feeding allocation, together with the planned engagement on camp infrastructure, forms part of the issues raised during Nafiu’s interaction with the corps members and camp management.
A federal high court in Abuja has thrown out a suit filed by Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, in which he sought to block the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other government agencies from freezing his bank accounts or seizing his assets.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik dismissed the case on Thursday, ruling that it amounted to an abuse of court process.
The Cable reported that El-Rufai had dragged the ICPC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) before the court as first to fourth respondents.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/368/2026, was filed on February 24 by his counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
The judge found that el-Rufai had filed similar suits before both the FCT High Court and the Federal High Court, accepting the respondents’ argument that running parallel cases before courts of the same level created a risk of conflicting judgements.
Abdulmalik also held that a court could not be used to prevent law enforcement agencies from performing their statutory duties, and described the suit as speculative and lacking in merit. She struck out the names of the EFCC, DSS and AGF as respondents, finding that the suit disclosed no reasonable cause of action against them.
The ICPC had asked the court to dismiss the case outright, arguing that el-Rufai fragmented a single, ongoing criminal investigation into three separate suits filed before two different courts within 12 days.
According to the commission, he filed one suit at the Federal High Court on February 20 challenging a search warrant, a second at the FCT High Court on March 3 challenging a remand order, and this third suit on February 24.
In the dismissed suit, the former governor asked the court to restrain all four respondents from freezing his accounts or seizing his assets while the substantive matter was being heard.
He argued that the severance pay he received after his governorship, which ran from 2015 to 2023, could not reasonably be considered proceeds of unlawful activity, and that properties purchased with those funds were lawfully owned.
Beyond the injunctions, el-Rufai sought N1 billion in general, exemplary and aggravated damages, citing psychological distress, anxiety and reputational harm he said would arise from any unlawful forfeiture proceedings. He also claimed N100 million in legal costs.
The AGF’s representative, Maimuna Lami-Shiru, Director of Civil Litigation and Public Law, argued that an interim forfeiture order was not a final forfeiture order and that seeking one did not, on its own, violate el-Rufai’s rights, as the ICPC, EFCC and DSS were each legally empowered to apply to a competent court for such orders during investigations.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to take further measures to strengthen the naira, saying a stronger exchange rate would help reduce the pressure on petrol prices and the wider cost of living.
TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, made the demand on Wednesday in Abuja after a meeting of the union’s National Administrative Council (NAC). He said the exchange rate remained one of the major factors affecting the prices of fuel and other essential commodities in the country.
Osifo said the government should work towards moving the naira to between N700 and N800 to the dollar. He argued that the currency remained undervalued despite recent improvements in the foreign exchange market.
“We cannot be tired talking about exchange rate because it is central to literally everything. Today, the official rate is just a little above 1,300 Naira to the USD, but we see that government can still do better.”
He said a stronger naira would have an effect beyond the foreign exchange market.
According to him, it would also reduce the cost of petroleum products, food, fertiliser, equipment and other items that depend heavily on foreign exchange.
The TUC president also commended the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, for measures aimed at stabilising the naira and improving macroeconomic conditions.
However, Osifo said the current exchange rate was still not satisfactory to the labour centre.
“We commend the CBN governor Cardoso for the great work that he is doing in the Central Bank, but we can still do much more because we still believe that 1300 Naira to $1 is still undervalued.”
He explained that the position of the union was not that the naira should be returned to the levels where it was considered overvalued.
Rather, he said the government should pursue policies that would allow the currency to trade at a stronger and more sustainable level.
“From all international commentators, from economic think-tanks, both local and international, from scholars, currently our Naira is undervalued and is not trading at the strength it should.
“Yes, we knew that before, when it was around N400, it was overvalued, but today at N1,300 it is still undervalued. So, government should do everything possible to move the Naira to the right value.”
Osifo linked the exchange rate directly to the continued pressure on Nigerians, particularly through the prices of petroleum products.
Petrol Station Price
TUC had previously argued that intervention in the foreign exchange market could help lower the cost of crude supplied to domestic refineries and, in turn, reduce petrol prices.
The union’s latest position comes as workers continue to deal with the effects of high living costs.
TUC said the government should therefore pay attention not only to broader economic indicators but also to the impact of economic policies on households and workers.
Osifo said some macroeconomic indicators were beginning to show signs of improvement, including inflation and exchange-rate stability.
He, however, maintained that the government needed to translate such improvements into tangible relief for Nigerians.
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