DLA Faults FG Over Fourth Extension of 2025 Budget

The Democratic and Leadership Alliance has criticised the Federal Government over the fourth extension of the implementation period for the capital component of the 2025 budget.

The National Assembly on Tuesday approved an amendment extending the deadline from September 30 to December 31, 2026, giving ministries, departments and agencies additional time to implement capital projects contained in the 2025 Appropriation Act. President Bola Tinubu subsequently signed the amendment into law.

The extension followed concerns over delays in implementing capital projects. Lawmakers said the additional three months would enable government agencies to complete ongoing projects and utilise funds that had already been appropriated and released.

However, the DLA said the repeated extensions raised concerns about the government’s budget planning and fiscal management.

In a statement, the Head of Media and Publicity of the DLA National Campaign Council, Dr Tosin Odeyemi, said the latest extension was the fourth time the implementation period of the same budget had been prolonged.

Odeyemi said the party was also concerned about the state of the 2024 budget and what it described as difficulties surrounding the implementation of the 2026 budget.

He argued that repeated extensions could result in overlapping budget cycles and make it difficult to track government expenditure within the fiscal year for which funds were appropriated.

The DLA spokesman also warned that more than N35 trillion allocated for capital expenditure in the 2026 budget could potentially be pushed into 2027 if implementation challenges persisted.

He called for greater transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, questioning why the government had been unable to fully implement budgets within their approved periods.

The DLA also criticised President Tinubu over his calls for Nigerians to hold state governors accountable for increased allocations following the removal of fuel subsidies.

Odeyemi argued that the Federal Government should similarly provide greater explanations about the use of national resources and borrowed funds.

The latest extension represents the fourth adjustment to the 2025 capital budget implementation timeline. The original deadline of December 31, 2025, was first moved to March 31, 2026, then June 30, and subsequently September 30.

The government has maintained that the extensions are aimed at completing ongoing capital projects and ensuring that already appropriated funds are utilised without disrupting critical programmes.

The latest amendment therefore gives federal MDAs until December 31, 2026, to implement the affected capital allocations under the 2025 budget.