TD Abuja, FCT — The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has issued a strongly worded open letter to the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, accusing lawmakers of neglecting their constitutional duty to compel the Executive to implement the capital components of the 2025 and 2026 federal budgets.
In the letter, signed by Eze Onyekpere Esq., Lead Director of CSJ, the group highlighted that:
- Funds for the carried-over 2025 capital budget have not been fully released, with most ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) receiving less than 50% of required allocations.
- No funds at all have been released for the 2026 capital budget, despite being nine months into the fiscal year.
- Revenue performance has been strong, with the Nigerian Revenue Services reporting ₦21.6 trillion collections in H1 2026, a 50% increase compared to the same period in 2025.
CSJ described the situation as “extremely strange,” questioning whether the National Assembly had authorized the Executive to “warehouse” federal revenues instead of deploying them for capital projects. The group warned that Nigerians were beginning to suspect “deliberate collaboration between the Legislature and the Executive to intensify hardship, suffering and misery.”
Constitutional and Fiscal Responsibility
The letter reminded the Senate that:
- Sections 4, 80, 81, and 88 of the 1999 Constitution empower the National Assembly to legislate, appropriate, and oversee public expenditure.
- Section 30 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act mandates quarterly monitoring and reporting of budget implementation.
- Section 48(1) of the FRA requires transparency and timely disclosure of all fiscal decisions.
CSJ argued that the National Assembly has failed to exercise these powers effectively, allowing the Executive to delay capital budget implementation year after year since 2023.
Public Trust and Accountability
The group contrasted the stalled capital budget releases with the timely disbursement of National Assembly’s own budgetary allocations, which are protected under first-line charge provisions.
It urged lawmakers to “take urgent, concrete and decisive steps” to ensure immediate release of funds for both the 2025 and 2026 capital budgets.
CSJ emphasized that capital projects are critical to infrastructure, service delivery, and economic growth, and their non-implementation directly worsens hardship for ordinary Nigerians.
Broader Implications
The open letter comes at a time when Nigeria is grappling with fiscal reforms, subsidy removal savings, and rising public expectations for improved governance.
With revenues reportedly exceeding projections, the failure to implement capital budgets raises questions about transparency, accountability, and political will.
Observers note that this confrontation between civil society and the legislature could intensify calls for stronger oversight mechanisms and more transparent fiscal management.
This story is developing, with CSJ demanding a formal Senate response to explain the delays and reassure Nigerians that capital budget implementation will not remain stalled.
