Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has formally requested the approval of Nigeria’s federal lawmakers to extend the implementation period of the 2025 Appropriation Act until Tuesday, 31 March 2026, in a move aimed at resolving the long-standing issue of overlapping national budgets.
The request was communicated in a letter dated Thursday, 18 December 2025, which was read on Friday, 19 December 2025, during a special plenary session of Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber, the House of Representatives. The letter was presented by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, to lawmakers in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital.
President Tinubu explained that the latest communication replaced an earlier letter sent on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, noting that the revision was necessary to address persistent challenges in Nigeria’s budget execution framework. According to the President, the country has continued to struggle with multiple budget cycles running concurrently, a situation he said undermines fiscal discipline and effective project planning.
Okay News reports that the President described the proposed extension as part of a broader fiscal reform agenda designed to strengthen public finance management, improve budget execution, and enhance transparency and accountability in government spending.
In the letter, President Tinubu stated that the proposed amendments would enable the Federal Government to ensure the release of at least 30 percent of capital allocations to Nigeria’s Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. He noted that delays in capital releases have consistently weakened budget performance and slowed the delivery of public infrastructure projects across the country.
The President further disclosed that the proposed repeal and re-enactment of the 2024 Appropriation Act would revise its total size from ₦35.06 trillion to ₦43.56 trillion. The revised allocation would include ₦1.74 trillion for statutory transfers, ₦8.27 trillion for debt servicing, ₦11.27 trillion for recurrent expenditure excluding debt, and ₦22.28 trillion for capital expenditure and development fund contributions for the year ending Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
Similarly, the proposed repeal and re-enactment of the 2025 Appropriation Act would adjust the total budget size to ₦48.32 trillion, down from ₦54.99 trillion. The revised 2025 budget would cover the period ending Tuesday, 31 March 2026, with allocations including ₦3.65 trillion for statutory transfers, ₦14.32 trillion for debt service, ₦13.59 trillion for recurrent non-debt expenditure, and ₦16.77 trillion for capital expenditure.
The letter read in part, “I hereby transmit to the House of Representatives the enclosed Appropriation Repeal and Re-Enactment Bills for 2024 and 2025 for the consideration of the National Assembly, in accordance with the established constitutional and legislative appropriation process.”
President Tinubu urged lawmakers to consider and pass the bills swiftly, stressing that the proposed adjustments reflect current fiscal realities and execution capacities, while supporting credible and transparent budget performance.
Since assuming office in May 2023, the Tinubu administration has faced repeated challenges linked to delayed budget passage, revenue shortfalls, and slow capital fund releases. The Presidency has consistently argued that running multiple budgets simultaneously weakens fiscal discipline and complicates accountability across government institutions.
