Fayemi Slams FG Over Delay In 2025 Budget Implementation
Former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Friday, criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over its failure to release funds to federal ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) months after the passage of the 2025 budget.
The former governor claimed that no single MDA has received a naira from the 2025 Appropriation Act, despite the country being five months into the fiscal year.
Fayemi, who spoke in Abuja at a media and civil society roundtable on the relevance of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act in promoting electoral transparency and accountability, lamented the delay in releasing funds to MDAs, described the situation as alarming and detrimental to public sector performance.
It would be recalled that the National Assembly in February passed the N54.9 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill presented by President Tinubu in December 2024.
The President signed the budget in the same month.
Fayemi said, “The federal budget 2025 that Mr. Rotimi (Spokesperson of the House of Representatives) and his colleagues passed in November, not one naira of that budget has gone to any MDA as I speak to you. The Ministry of Justice is there, they have not received one naira from the 2025 budget. And June is two days’ time, meaning five months with no allocation. Even though, on paper, we have a federal budget of 2025.
“But that’s also part of the task that I think civil society actors have to do. So that it’s not just attacking the government. How do we also come to the aid of those MDAs we expect to work if they don’t have money to work? So we should be raising these issues.
“I don’t think I’ve seen it in any newspaper or maybe I’ve not been following actively. But nobody has even brought out things that, look, this budget has been passed, but no ministry has accessed it. Of course, they may argue, as you know, government would always have a response.”
The former chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, said while the Federal Government may argue that it is still disbursing funds from the multiple supplementary and revised budgets passed in 2023 and 2024, such explanations do not excuse the delay in implementing the current budget.
In his words, “They may argue and tell you that, well, we’re still spending the 2024 budget revised. You know, they had three budgets last year, or even four budgets. They had actual, they had revised, or is it supplementary, supplementary 2023, actual 2024, supplementary 2024, and then now 2025.
“So maybe some of the money appropriated in those previous three budgets are still being spent. And that is why they have chosen not to implement budget 2025. But really, the point to make is that this is a very, very important exercise.”
He also challenged civil society organisations and the media to do more in interrogating the Federal Government’s financial transparency, especially when public institutions are left to operate without funding.
The former governor warned that while the FOI Act remains a key instrument for accountability, real transparency requires sustained public engagement with government performance and budget delivery.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
