Former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has taken a hard swipe at the administration of President Bola Tinubu over what he described as a shocking and dangerous delay in the implementation of the 2025 federal budget. Despite being five months into the fiscal year, Fayemi revealed that no federal ministry, department, or agency (MDA) has received a single naira from the N54.9 trillion Appropriation Act signed into law since December 2024.
Speaking at a media and civil society roundtable in Abuja, Fayemi did not mince words, saying the Tinubu-led government’s failure to release funds is crippling the public sector. The event, hosted by the International Press Centre (IPC) and backed by the European Union through the EU-SDGN II programme, focused on the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and its role in enhancing electoral transparency.
Fayemi expressed disbelief that despite the budget being passed by the National Assembly in February and promptly signed by President Tinubu, federal institutions have been left to grope in the dark with no funding. He disclosed that key ministries like the Ministry of Justice have not received any allocations, raising alarm over the implications for governance and public service delivery.
In his words, “It’s unbelievable that as of now, no MDA has received a dime from the 2025 budget. We’re entering June, yet this budget exists only on paper. How do we expect ministries to function without resources? This is a major issue that civil society and the media should be spotlighting.”
Fayemi, a former Minister of Mines and Steel and one-time Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, suggested that the government might still be spending from multiple supplementary budgets from 2023 and 2024. However, he insisted that such justifications fall flat in the face of economic reality, saying the 2025 budget delay reflects poorly on the Tinubu administration’s transparency and financial discipline.
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He further called on civil society organisations and journalists to step up scrutiny of government actions and demand accountability, noting that while the FOI Act is a powerful tool, it remains underutilised due to poor implementation and weak public engagement.
The Executive Director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, echoed Fayemi’s concerns, stating that Nigeria’s democratic health depends on the consistent use of the FOI Act to expose corruption, track campaign finance, and ensure participatory governance. He lamented the low level of compliance by public institutions and urged journalists to dig deeper into the financial dealings of elected officials.
Adding to the call for reform, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) boss Edetaen Ojo slammed the persistent refusal of public agencies to comply with FOI requests. He noted that in 14 years of the FOI Act’s existence, no official has been prosecuted for non-compliance, emboldening institutions to sidestep their obligations with impunity. Ojo warned that without funding and enforcement, the Act risks becoming a toothless law.
