Tinubu administration fails to publish budget implementation reports for three consecutive quarters — Report

The administration of President Bola Tinubu has reportedly failed to publish statutory budget implementation reports for three consecutive quarters, contrary to provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007.

Findings revealed that the Budget Office of the Federation did not publish reports for the third and fourth quarters of 2025, while the report for the first quarter of 2026 was still unavailable as of May 10, despite the legal deadline expiring on April 30.

Under the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the Federal Government is required to monitor and publish quarterly reports on budget implementation.

Section 30 of the Act mandates the Minister of Finance, through the Budget Office, to monitor and evaluate implementation of the annual budget on a quarterly basis and submit reports to the Fiscal Responsibility Council and the Joint Finance Committee of the National Assembly.

The law also provides in Section 50 that a summary of budget execution reports must be published within 30 days after the end of each quarter.

Checks on the Budget Office website reportedly showed that the latest available reports only covered the first and second quarters of 2025, while reports for subsequent quarters remain missing.

The report noted that this marks the first time in 15 years that Nigeria’s Budget Office has failed to consistently publish quarterly budget performance reports.

It was further gathered that the Federal Government is currently implementing multiple budgets simultaneously, including the 2025 budget, aspects of the 2024 supplementary budget and unfinished portions of the 2024 main budget.

As of April 2026, the capital component of the 2025 budget was still being implemented after its execution period was extended to June 30. Similar extensions were reportedly granted for the 2024 and 2023 capital budgets.

The Fiscal Responsibility Commission, which is expected to enforce compliance with the law, has also faced criticism over its inability to ensure adherence to the provisions of the Act.

Although the Fiscal Responsibility Act reportedly identifies 54 offences, critics argued that the law contains no clear sanctions for violations.

Civil society organisations have also raised concerns over the situation.

BudgIT reportedly described the development as a major accountability gap, noting that the current administration had not published a single budget implementation report in nearly one fiscal year.

The Centre for Social Justice also called for the immediate publication of the signed 2026 budget, stating that the document remained inaccessible to the public weeks after presidential assent.

Reacting to the issue, former presidential candidate Peter Obi said no budget implementation report was released in 2025 “regardless of how poor the performance was,” warning that “no nation can operate with such recklessness and succeed.”

The Budget Office, however, attributed the delays to prolonged project verification processes and the transition to a new fiscal framework.

Critics insisted that the Fiscal Responsibility Act does not provide exemptions for delayed approvals or overlapping budget cycles, maintaining that quarterly reporting remains a statutory obligation of government.

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