The Senate on Thursday approved the extension of the implementation period for the capital component of the 2025 national budget to September 2026, shifting the earlier deadline of June 30.
Key Highlights:
- The Senate stressed that many projects are already at advanced stages and require additional time for completion, certification, and payment.
- Senate President Godswill Akpabio presided over the approval, which was passed through a voice vote.
- The extension applies only to the capital component of the 2025 budget.
- The resolution will be transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence.
- If finalized, MDAs will have until September 30, 2026, to complete and pay for capital projects under the 2025 budget cycle.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion moved by the Senate Whip, Tahir Monguno, after the chamber suspended Order 1(b) of its Standing Rules to enable immediate consideration of the matter.
Leading debate on the motion, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele explained that the extension was necessary due to a significant amount of funds released for capital projects that remained unspent across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He attributed the delay to procurement processes, administrative bottlenecks and project execution challenges, despite the release of funds intended for infrastructure and development projects nationwide.
According to him, the 2025 Appropriation Act was designed to drive economic growth, strengthen infrastructure delivery, enhance national security and improve the welfare of Nigerians.
Bamidele warned that failure to extend the implementation window could jeopardise several strategic projects that are already at advanced stages of completion across the country.
He noted that many of these projects required additional time for execution, certification and payment processes to ensure proper completion and value for money.
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Reinforcing the argument, Senator Monguno cautioned that maintaining the earlier deadline could result in the abandonment of critical projects, wastage of public funds and disruption of ongoing government programmes.
Following deliberations, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the motion to a voice vote, which was overwhelmingly supported by lawmakers.
The Senate subsequently resolved to amend the 2025 Appropriation Act, extending the capital budget implementation period by an additional 90 days.
Lawmakers stressed that the extension applies strictly to the capital component of the budget and is aimed at ensuring efficient utilisation of released funds and improved project delivery nationwide.
The resolution will now be transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence before it becomes fully operational.
With the approval, Ministries, Departments and Agencies now have until September 30, 2026, to execute, certify and complete payments for capital projects under the 2025 budget cycle.
