Multiple budgets: We’ve not breached any law – FG

The Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) said budget and expenditure documents of the federal government are yet to be released to the public to allow “document integrity, legislative authentication processes, and the need to avoid circulation of conflicting drafts while harmonisation and enrolment are ongoing.”

A statement by BOF’s Director-General, Tanimu Yakubu, while acknowledging that Section 48(1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act requires transparency, timely disclosure, and wide publication of fiscal transactions and decisions, said transparency requirements must be implemented before public disclosures.

The statement, which also noted public commentary on the repeal and re-enactment of the 2024 and 2025 Appropriation Acts, said the constitution did not limit the National Assembly from extending the lifespan of budgets.

Daily Trust reports that there have been widespread concerns over multiple budgets in operations, with the 2014 and 2025 budgets extended till March 2026.

Also, since the presentation of the 2026 budget, the document is yet to be made public, unlike before when the minutest details were made public as soon as the President presents the proposal before a joint session of the National Assembly.

Speaking yesterday, the Budget Office DG said while Appropriation Acts are commonly framed to operate within a fiscal year, the constitution does not impose an immutable expiry rule that forbids legislative extension for orderly completion of obligations, settlement of certified claims, and alignment of overlapping fiscal instruments.

It added that the Constitution does not prohibit the National Assembly from repealing and re-enacting an Appropriation Act where fiscal circumstances, implementation realities, or reconciliation of fiscal instruments make such legislative action necessary in the public interest.

“Where the National Assembly passes a repeal and re-enactment bill and the President assents, the resulting Act becomes valid law. It is therefore incorrect to describe a duly enacted repeal and re-enactment as a ‘constitutional impossibility,” the statement said.

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