2025 Budget defence: When the watchdog loses their bark

From Adesuwa Osunde, Abuja

The 2025 budget presentation sessions in the National Assembly have exposed a notable concern the defense of ministers who struggle to provide comprehensive accounts of their ministries’ performance, a development, political commentators say, has significant implications for governance, fiscal responsibility, and public trust.

What is more worrisome, is that the legislature as the watchdog of the executive has lost its bark, choosing to become a canary that sings praises of those it should hold accountable.

In previous years, budget defense sessions in the National Assembly were generally more structured, with ministers and heads of agencies presenting detailed reports on their budgetary allocations and performance. While lawmakers have always scrutinised the reports, proceedings were typically more orderly, with any disagreements handled within the confines of parliamentary protocol.

However, recent sessions, particularly in 2025, have seen a shift towards more confrontational exchanges, among members of the same panel. This marks a departure from previous years when budget defense sessions were less adversarial, with ministers generally facing tough but structured questioning.

A good example of how things have changed is the budget defense by the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Mr Yusuf Attah, who represented the minister. Speaking on the utilisation of the N100 billion 2023 supplementary budget, he said, “the amount released so far was utilised so far to pay outstanding certificates of payments owed to contractors for various projects such as the Renewed Hope Housing Cities and Estate, completion of the National Housing Programme, construction and rehabilitation of Federal Secretariat and general improvements of infrastructure across the country.”

On the status of the Renewed Hope Housing Scheme and Cities Programme and National Housing Programme, he said a total of “7, 522 Housing units spread across the 35 states of federation and the FCT have been under construction, out of which 3, 388 have been completed, while 4, 134 units are still ongoing.”

Reacting, Sen. Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) sought to know where the housing units were located because, according to him, he had never seen any Renewed Hope Housing Unit in the whole of Bauchi State and his constituency in particular.

“This is music to our ears,” he said,” adding, “these are very strange to us. I am from Bauchi State. I represent Bauchi State, I don’t know where you are doing this project, I don’t know how. Here I am representing the very good people of Bauchi Central. I have been here for up to one and a half years as Senator, I’ve no knowledge at all of this Renewed Hope Housing. Is this Renewed Hope only to you or to Nigerians? Even as you’re not reporting details of what you’re doing, are you reporting details to Nigerians? Do Nigerians know of some of these things?

“I asked my colleagues, members of the Senate if they are aware of the establishment of this ongoing project, if they are aware of the ongoing project, if they are aware of the size of this project,” he Senator Ningi noted.

But immediately Ningi concluded his observations, Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South) rose to the defence of the minister, saying it is erroneous to say the projects are not visible when the implementation timeline has not elapsed.

Jimoh stated that “building houses, Mr Chairman, you don’t acquire land in one day, do survey one day, do planning in one day, do approval in one day. More important is the 20, 000 housing units and again, in 35 states of the federation. So we know as senators, as a fact that we had extension for the capital projects in 2024. So it may not be out of place that the ministry is projecting and explained how that intends to be done. Not that 2024 has come to an end and the capital budget has been released to them and they have not done anything. I just want to make that clarification.”

However, his statement was condemned by other members of the committee as they raised their voices in disapproval, saying Sen. Jimoh should not be the one speaking for the minister.

Another incident worth noting is the one involving the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Joint National Assembly Committee on Police Affairs. Though not a minister, the session became contentious when Senator Onyekachi Nwoebonyi accused the IGP of presenting documents that are different from those distributed to lawmakers. Instead of his colleagues to support his call for the proper copy to be provided, his observation was pushed back, leading to his abrupt walk out on the meeting in protest.

Analysts believe that not allowing the ministers to do a thorough defense of their budget undermine the principle of accountability, which is a cornerstone of democratic governance. When lawmakers shield underperforming ministers or head of public institutions, they argue, it sends a message that inefficiency and lack of transparency are tolerable.

Also, they believe that such actions erode public trust in the National Assembly. Citizens expect their representatives to hold the executive accountable, ensuring that public funds are utilised effectively. But when this oversight is compromised, analysts further contend, it diminishes confidence in the government’s commitment to responsible fiscal management.

Moreover, defending underperforming ministers can perpetuate a culture of mediocrity within the public service, political commentators insist.

One of the lawmakers, noted that “without the impetus to perform, ministries are encouraged to be complacent, leading to little or no delivery on their mandates and hindering national development.

“The implications extend to fiscal policy as well. Inefficient budget implementation, particularly in capital projects, can stymie economic growth. Capital expenditures are crucial for infrastructure development, which in turn stimulates economic activity and improves living standards. A 25 percent implementation rate in this area, as reported for 2024, is worrisome and suggests a need for more stringent oversight,” the lawmaker said.

Daily Sun gathered that the National Assembly’s role in budget approval and oversight is vital in maintaining checks and balances. It was further learnt that when lawmakers fail to critically assess ministerial performance, it disrupts this balance, potentially leading to unchecked executive power and fiscal indiscipline.

To address these challenges, pundits argue, it is imperative for the National Assembly to strengthen its oversight functions, including demanding detailed performance reports from ministers and holding them accountable for deviations from budgetary allocations and targets.

Many of the lawmakers who spoke to Daily Sun acknowledged the above fact, stressing the need for oversight and post budget passage engagements to be more regular than the once-in-a-year budget performance and defence ritual.

Additionally, the lawmakers argue that there should be a framework for evaluating ministerial performance, with clear metrics and consequences for underperformance.

According to them, this would incentivise ministers to adhere to budgetary provisions and strive for efficient service delivery.

This is just as they submitted that public engagement, involving civil society organisations and the media in monitoring budget implementation is very crucial. To them, such engagements would enhance transparency, and pressure could be applied on both the legislature and the executive to fulfill their responsibilities to Nigerians.