*We are concerned about effective implementation- Hon Bichi
JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja
Ahead of the formal presentation of the 2026 Federal Government of Nigeria FGN Budget by President Bola Tinubu, the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations has held a closed-door meeting with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr.Wale Edun, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu and other senior government officials on the implementation of the 2025 budget.
The House Committee Chairman, Hon.Abubakar Bichi and other members of the constitutional committee drawn from all the 36 states of the federation and the nation’s capital, with the invited top government officials, held a 5-hour meeting at the New Wing National Assembly on Wednesday.
The House Committee which has the House mandate to scrutinize the annual appropriations bill presented to the National Assembly at the end of each year, has, however, expressed concerns over the effective implementation of the annual budgets.
Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, the House Committee Chairman, Hon.Bichi, said that the committee is ready to receive the budget from the House and properly scrutinize the estimates presented in the document by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the federal government.
The House Committee helmsman assured that the committee is determined to ensure that the 2026 budget meets the yearnings of citizens of the country, even as it would begin effective oversight duties on it.
He explained that the engagement was part of the National Assembly’s constitutional mandate to monitor budget performance and ensure effective service delivery.
“We have engaged with the Ministers of Finance and Budget; both acknowledged the concerns and assured us of their commitment to work harder so that Nigerians can begin to see visible results from the budget.
Our members are seriously concerned, and the ministers have promised that before the end of this year, Nigerians will witness significant changes and developments.
They have given us their word, and we will be monitoring closely,” Bichi said.
On his part, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, disclosed that as of September 2025, about 80 per cent of the 2024 budget had been implemented.
“Overall, implementation is at about 80 per cent. As you know, the National Assembly extended the 2024 budget till December, so it is still running.
We also reviewed the 2025 budget, focusing on grassroots projects and critical infrastructure such as roads, irrigation, and other facilities that directly impact Nigerians,” Edun said.
The minister said: “As is customary, we reviewed the budget performance, looked at 2024, basically, overall it’s around 80 per cent. And as you know, the budget for 2024 was extended by the National Assembly till December, so it is still running, it is still a work in progress.
“And likewise, we looked at what is happening in 2025, and we put our heads together to ensure that particularly the projects that touch the grassroots, that provide support, resources, and facilities, like irrigation and other infrastructure projects at the grassroots level, are focused on and are given adequate attention and priority.
So discussion is on ongoing on the implementation of the budget faithfully and fully.”
On concerns over additional spending, Edun clarified that there was no discussion on a supplementary budget for 2025.
Also speaking, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu, said the committee recognized and commended the achievements recorded under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He noted that lawmakers particularly appreciated the Executive’s respect for the National Assembly and the cordial working relationship between both arms of government.
“The National Assembly has supported all major reform initiatives of this administration, including the recent tax reforms, which are already yielding results.
Our engagement today helped to identify areas where improvements are still required,” Bagudu added.
Our correspondent recalls that President Bola Tinubu presented before the joint session of the National Assembly the N47.90 Trillion 2025 FGN Budget on December 18, 2024.
The budget which was christened the budget of restoration, security and peace building, was preceded by the approval of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper MTEF-FSP by the Senate and the House.
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