Budget Execution: Analyst Knocks Presidency, NASS Over Transparency Gaps

 

A public finance management analyst, Eze Onyekpere, has called on President Bola Tinubu to provide a clear explanation to Nigerians on the state of the nation’s budgets and their implementation, raising concerns over what he described as weak transparency and accountability.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, Onyekpere said Nigerians deserve a direct and detailed briefing on how budgetary provisions are being executed across sectors.

According to him, if the President is unable to personally address the issues, the Minister of Finance should be mandated to give a comprehensive account of budget performance and revenue status.

“As far as I’m concerned, Mr President should explain to Nigerians what is going on with our budgets and execution. If he can’t do that personally, he should empower the Minister of Finance to do that,” he said.

The analyst also faulted the National Assembly, accusing federal lawmakers of failing in their oversight responsibilities by not ensuring the release of statutory quarterly budget implementation reports.

He noted that no official reports were made available at the end of each quarter, as required under public finance guidelines.

“The Budget Office is supposed to give quarterly budget implementation reports. Nothing came at the end of the first, second, third or fourth quarter. Yet, they are already considering a new budget cycle and expect Nigerians to take them seriously,” he stated.

Onyekpere further recalled that the presidency had earlier announced that revenue targets — particularly from non-oil sources — were surpassed months before year-end, stressing that such claims must be backed by verifiable public records and reconciled figures.

He added that resolving the concerns surrounding budget performance should primarily be handled at the level of the President and the Finance Ministry, rather than shifting responsibility to accounting officials.

The remarks come amid ongoing debates over federal revenue projections, deficit financing and budget credibility.