The Federal Government under Tinubu has not released a Quarterly Budget Implementation Report since the one for the second quarter of 2024. That was four quarters ago—a full fiscal year—since they last bothered to tell Nigerians how their money was being spent.
What is a Quarterly Budget Implementation Report, and why does it matter?
Every year, the government draws up a budget and presents it to the National Assembly (NASS) for approval. For example, in 2025, NASS approved a whopping N54.99 trillion. That is almost double the 2024 budget of N27.5 trillion.
The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007, which sets the rules for government financial management, requires the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Finance, to provide reports on how the approved budget is being implemented.
Section 30(1) of the Act says:
“The Minister of Finance, through the Budget Office of the Federation, shall monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Annual Budget, assess the attainment of the fiscal targets and report thereon on a quarterly basis to the Fiscal Responsibility Council and the Joint Finance Committee of the National Assembly.”
In simple terms, the Federal Government has to explain how the money NASS has allowed them to spend is actually being utilised. These reports show whether the budget goals are being met and explain any failures or changes.
Most importantly, these reports are meant for the public.
Section 30(2) reads:
“The Minister of Finance shall cause the report prepared pursuant to subsection (1) of this section to be published in the mass and electronic media and on Ministry of Finance website, not later than 30 days after the end of each quarter.”
This means the reports should be published publicly, including on the Ministry of Finance website, so every Nigerian can access them and hold the government accountable.
Denying the public information through ineptitude?
We visited the Ministry of Finance’s website, where the Act says the reports should be published, and it was an experience that would be funny if it was not so annoying.
The User Interface (UI) is as predictably poor as it is disappointing. When Nigerian government websites will catch up to modern standards remains an open question.
Clicking on the “Documents” section takes you to a page showing what look like budget folders. You might wonder why these “documents” are not clickable until you realise you are looking at an image.
Inspecting the image shows the file name: “Screenshot-2024-07-13-170156.jpg.” Why the Federal Ministry of Finance has a screenshot from July 2024 instead of actual documents is baffling.
Is this just incompetence, or a deliberate attempt to deny Nigerians access to information they have a right to?
Why does the failure to publish these reports matter?
While the Quarterly Budget Implementation Reports are missing from the Finance Ministry website, they can be found on the Budget Office of the Federation’s website. The records there start in 2009 and stop at the second quarter of 2024.
We have already established that these reports are a key way for the public to hold the government to account and ensure public funds are being spent as planned and approved by NASS.
That the reports are no longer being published is especially worrying in 2025. The budget of N54.99 trillion is the biggest ever and massive compared to previous years. In 2024, it was N27.5 trillion. In 2023, N21.83 trillion. In 2022, N13.08 trillion. And in 2021, N10.8 trillion.
Also, this July, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the Federal Government needs to adjust the 2025 budget because it does not reflect lower oil prices, which affect how much Nigeria earns. In short, Nigeria is making far less from oil than the government had planned when writing the budget.
Government spending has gone up dramatically, yet Nigerians have not seen a similar improvement in their quality of life. In addition to the fact that revenue is lower than expected, it becomes clear that Nigerians need to be informed about how their public wealth is being used.
The Federal Government’s decision to abandon its legal duty to publish these reports is disturbing and demands urgent action.
What can you do about this?
- Use whatever platform you have, including social media, to demand accountability from the government.
- Start an online petition to push for the release of the quarterly reports. Platforms like this one are pretty easy to navigate.
- Call your representative in the National Assembly (NASS). The Fiscal Responsibility Act makes the Ministry of Finance accountable to the Finance Committee of NASS. So NASS must be pressured to do its job and call the Federal Government to order. To find the contact of the lawmaker representing your constituency at NASS, click here.
- Share this article to raise awareness about the issue.
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