Funding Crisis Sparks Fresh Rift Between Reps, Tinubu as Lawmakers Push for Presidential Appearance

A fresh disagreement appears to be brewing between President Bola Tinubu and the House of Representatives following mounting concerns over the delayed release of funds for projects captured in the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Appropriation Acts.

Tension flared in the Green Chamber on Wednesday as lawmakers across party lines demanded greater accountability over the implementation of approved budgets, with several members insisting that President Tinubu and his economic management team should appear before the National Assembly to explain the persistent funding shortfalls.

The debate followed a motion sponsored by the member representing Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency of Abia State, Hon. Alex Ikwechegh, who decried poor funding of approved budgets and delays in the release of capital allocations to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The motion gained momentum after Hon. Benedict Etanabene, representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency of Delta State, raised a constitutional point of order, informing the House of a circular from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation suspending funding for zonal intervention projects pending fresh verification.

The development drew sharp reactions from lawmakers, many of whom expressed frustration over what they described as the Executive’s failure to implement projects already approved by Parliament.

Presenting the motion, Ikwechegh argued that the integrity of Nigeria’s budget process depends not only on legislative approval but also on the timely release and utilisation of appropriated funds.

He noted that during the 2026 budget defence sessions, several ministers and heads of MDAs disclosed that many agencies received little or no capital releases under the 2025 budget, leaving numerous government projects stalled.

The lawmaker also recalled repeated protests by indigenous contractors in 2025 and early 2026 over unpaid certificates for completed and verified projects, warning that many contractors have been unable to repay bank loans obtained to execute government contracts.

Ikwechegh further reminded the House that President Tinubu, at a Federal Executive Council meeting on December 10, 2025, directed the immediate settlement of verified contractor liabilities estimated at about N1.5 trillion and approved the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee to reconcile outstanding claims.

He added that the National Assembly had also approved borrowing exceeding N1 trillion to facilitate payment of verified contractor obligations, alongside provisions in the 2026 Appropriation Act for outstanding liabilities.

Despite widespread support for the motion, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ruled against the aspect seeking to summon the President, describing such a move as inconsistent with parliamentary practice.

“The issue of summoning the President as included in the debate cannot be adopted by the House,” Abbas ruled, insisting that such a procedure was unparliamentary.

His ruling, however, did little to calm the mood in the chamber, as several lawmakers remained visibly dissatisfied over the slow implementation of constituency and capital projects.

Some legislators reportedly expressed concern that the suspension of zonal intervention projects could undermine their ability to point to tangible achievements ahead of the 2027 general elections, while others argued that delays in executing constituency projects had already affected their political fortunes.

The debate underscored growing frustration within the House over budget implementation and signalled increasing pressure on the Executive to improve the release and execution of appropriated funds.