Reps ask Tinubu to submit 2025 budget in two weeks

The lawmakers said the delay in transmitting the budget to the National Assembly is a violation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and that it is making it difficult for the National Assembly to perform its functions.

The House of Representatives has called on President Bola Tinubu to present the 2025 budget to the National Assembly within two weeks.

The House urged Mr Tinubu, who is currently on vacation in France, to comply with Section 11(1)(b) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act by submitting the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the budget to the National Assembly within the next two weeks.

This resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by Clement Jimbo (APC, Akwa-Ibom) during Wednesday’s plenary session.

Section 11(1)(b) of the Act states that “the Federal Government, after consultation with the States, shall, not later than six months from the commencement of this Act, cause to be prepared and laid before the National Assembly for their consideration a Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for the next three financial years; and thereafter, not later than four months before the commencement of the next financial year, cause to be prepared a Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for the next three financial years.”

However, President Tinubu has yet to present either the MTEF or the 2025 budget to the National Assembly.

The president presented the 2024 budget to the National Assembly on 29 November 2023, and the lawmakers passed it within one month.

The motion

Moving the motion, Mr Jimbo stated that the executive is violating the Fiscal Responsibility Act, thereby making it difficult for the National Assembly to perform its functions.

“The time the National Assembly requires to exercise its functions as enshrined in Section 88(2)(b) is being technically curtailed by the non-compliance of Section 11(1)(b) of the FRA 2007 by the executive,” he said.

Supporting the motion, Billy Osawaru (APC, Edo) expressed concern that the National Assembly had been rushed into passing the 2024 budget, having been given only 30 days to review it.

Also speaking in support of the motion, the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), commended the motion and called for bipartisan support.

When the motion was put to a vote by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, it was passed by the majority of the House.

Mr Tajudeen subsequently referred the motion to the Committees on Appropriations and Legislative Compliance for action.