Reps raise concerns over poor budget implementation, delayed releases to MDAs

The House of Representatives was thrown into a rowdy session on Wednesday after Speaker Tajudeen Abbas stopped an attempt by a lawmaker to invite President Bola Tinubu to appear before the chamber over the implementation of the 2025 budget.

The incident occurred during the consideration of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Alex Mascot Ikwechegh (Labour Party, Abia), who expressed concern over inadequate funding of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and persistent delays in the release of appropriated funds.

Presenting the motion, Ikwechegh said disclosures by ministers and heads of MDAs during the ongoing 2026 budget defence sessions indicated that several agencies had received little or no capital releases in 2025 despite appropriations approved by the National Assembly.

According to him, the delays have stalled critical projects across the country and left many contractors, who financed government projects through bank loans, awaiting payment for completed and verified contracts.

He recalled that President Bola Tinubu had directed at a Federal Executive Council meeting in December 2025 that verified contractor liabilities, estimated at about ₦1.5 trillion, be settled. However, he noted that despite the directive and legislative approvals, releases to MDAs remained slow or, in some cases, had not been made.

Ikwechegh also drew attention to a Treasury Circular reportedly issued on June 29, 2026, by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, suspending payments for zonal intervention and constituency projects pending the issuance of Certificates of Verification and Compliance by the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.

He urged the House to commend the President for directing the settlement of contractor liabilities and to call for the immediate implementation of the directive.

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The session became heated when the lawmaker went beyond the prayers contained in his motion and proposed that President Tinubu be invited to appear before the House to explain the delays in budget implementation.

Before he could conclude, Speaker Abbas interrupted him, reminding him that the proposal was not part of the motion before the House and directed him to restrict his submissions to the approved prayers.

The intervention sparked sharp reactions across the chamber. While some lawmakers supported the suggestion, others opposed it, arguing that under the Constitution, ministers and heads of government agencies—not the President—are responsible for accounting for budget implementation.

The disagreement deepened when Hon. Godwin Oga Mobi proposed an amendment seeking the postponement of the House Open Week to allow lawmakers to concentrate on addressing the budget implementation challenges. The amendment was seconded by Hon. Sani Lawan.

Also contributing, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi (Plateau) backed the substantive motion but opposed any move to invite the President. He argued that parliamentary oversight should focus on officials directly responsible for implementing government policies.

Gagdi further requested that the House split the question to enable members to vote separately on the proposal to invite the President and the other prayers contained in the motion.

The request triggered loud protests from lawmakers, with members shouting across the chamber as supporters and opponents exchanged arguments.

Speaker Abbas repeatedly called for order before ruling against the request to split the question, insisting that the House would proceed in line with its rules and the motion as presented.

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Following the ruling, calm was restored and the House concluded consideration of the motion.

The House subsequently urged the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Budget Office of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria to prioritise timely releases and cash-backing of appropriated funds, publish a clear schedule of releases for the 2026 fiscal year, and conclude the verification and payment of outstanding contractor liabilities within a defined timeframe.

Lawmakers also called on fiscal authorities to ensure that the over ₦1 trillion borrowing approved by the National Assembly is applied strictly to the settlement of verified capital project obligations and to provide the legislature with a full account of its utilisation.

The House further urged the Office of the Accountant-General to review the June 29 Treasury Circular and align it with the President’s directive by introducing clear timelines for issuing verification certificates to avoid further delays.

As part of its resolutions, the House proposed the constitution of an ad hoc committee, to be chaired by the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, to engage relevant fiscal authorities on the status of fund releases, contractor payments and the utilisation of approved borrowings.

The committee is expected to report back to the House within four weeks with recommendations for further legislative action. (Vanguard)

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