2025 Budget: National Assembly Must Prioritize Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Justice

Ensuring Fiscal Responsibility in the 2025 Appropriation Bill

As the National Assembly scrutinizes the submissions from ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in the ongoing defense of the 2025 Appropriation Bill, lawmakers must ensure that allocations align with the economic realities of the nation.

Nigerians demand that priority be given to capital projects rather than recurrent expenditures that primarily benefit a small group of bureaucrats. This budget review must not follow the familiar pattern where even lawmakers are accused of prioritizing personal interests, including the padding of budgets.

Nigeria is at a crossroads, and all hands must be on deck to restore the country to a path of sustained growth. This aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s theme for the 2025 Budget: Restoration—Securing Peace and Rebuilding Prosperity. However, peace and prosperity are unattainable without economic justice. For the President’s vision to be realized, budget implementation must be devoid of inefficiencies and mismanagement.

Errors in the budget preparation process have become a recurring issue, often due to the cut-and-paste approach to budgeting, which opens the door to fraud, both intentional and inadvertent. A glaring example is the N2.49 trillion allocation to the five regional development commissions without clear breakdowns. Such lump-sum allocations make funds vulnerable to discretionary misuse. Nigerians are rightly concerned and expect lawmakers to ensure proper disaggregation and necessary adjustments, especially in reducing the cost of governance.

The high cost of governance remains a major challenge. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the budget’s allocation to the civil service, warning that the excessive N14 trillion (30% of the budget) earmarked for running an oversized bureaucracy and inefficient public enterprises is unsustainable. He urged President Tinubu to address inefficiencies in government operations.

In these difficult times, Nigeria cannot afford to waste scarce resources on unproductive ventures or the extravagant lifestyles of a few government officials. The Citizens Wealth Platform (CWP), a non-governmental organization, has identified N27 billion in frivolous allocations for the State House, including excessive funds for routine maintenance, renovations, and vehicle purchases. These are unjustifiable expenditures, especially when funded through borrowing. Similarly, service-wide votes continue the problematic tradition of lump-sum allocations for vague expenditures that often lack accountability.

Another contentious provision in the budget is the N63.98 billion earmarked for residential rent payments—without transparency on the beneficiaries. This, along with other questionable recurrent expenses, raises doubts about whether budget planners truly understand the urgent need for national restoration and stability.

BudgIT, a civic-tech organization focused on transparency and accountability, has flagged critical omissions in the budget, including the absence of breakdowns for key agencies and missing allocations for government-owned enterprises such as the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Customs Service. Furthermore, the much-touted Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project, a flagship initiative of this administration, is conspicuously absent from the budget document, underscoring concerns about the project’s credibility.

Despite over six decades of budget formulation, Nigeria still struggles with entrenched interests and systemic abuses that undermine the process. Public trust in the National Assembly’s ability to conduct an objective and patriotic review is alarmingly low. The lack of transparency and accountability has stunted Nigeria’s economic progress for decades.

President Tinubu’s preference for a bloated bureaucracy is evident, as demonstrated by his appointment of the largest cabinet in recent history—a decision he continues to defend. However, he must be reminded that modern governance prioritizes efficiency over size. Other nations are streamlining their governments to cut waste and improve efficiency; Nigeria must not remain an exception.

The National Assembly has a duty to review the 2025 budget with sincerity and a deep sense of responsibility. Lawmakers must ensure that national resources are allocated wisely to foster economic recovery and improve citizens’ lives. The time for superficial reviews and self-serving decisions is over—Nigeria demands a budget that truly serves the people.