Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, representing Borno North Senatorial District, has faulted the President Bola Tinubu-led administration over what he described as the poor implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act, warning that failure to execute an approved budget amounts to a breach of the law and could constitute an impeachable offence.

The senator made the remarks during an engagement with the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, where he questioned the delay in implementing the 2025 budget despite the National Assembly extending its lifespan.

Monguno lamented that lawmakers were forced to roll over about 70 per cent of the 2025 budget into 2026 because the executive failed to execute the spending plan as expected.

According to him, the National Assembly had agreed that at least 30 per cent of the budget should have been implemented before March, but even that target was not achieved.

Questioning the management of government revenues, Monguno asked where the funds were being channelled if budget implementation had largely stalled.

He stressed that the primary responsibility of government is to deliver the dividends of democracy through effective implementation of the budget, warning that citizens would continue to suffer if approved projects and programmes remained unfunded.

The senator also raised concerns over funding for security agencies, alleging that they had received no capital allocation despite worsening insecurity across the country.

Monguno further questioned why the Federal Government reportedly retained about ₦1.7 trillion out of the ₦3.7 trillion generated through the Federation Account in the previous month instead of distributing the full amount to the three tiers of government.

“Why are these monies being retained? If the budget is not being implemented, then what is the purpose of government? Failure to implement an approved budget is a breach of the law and an impeachable offence,” he said.

Finance Minister’s response

Responding, Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele said there was a need to clarify public misconceptions surrounding government borrowing and debt figures.

According to him, approvals granted by the National Assembly for external loans are often mistaken for actual borrowings, whereas they merely authorise the government to access the funds when necessary.

Oyedele explained that the Ministry of Finance was finalising a detailed breakdown showing the amount approved by the National Assembly, the actual sums borrowed and how the funds have been utilised.

He added that the report would be made public to improve transparency and provide Nigerians with a clearer understanding of the country’s debt profile and budget financing.