June 11 (THEWILL) — The Senate, on Thursday, approved a 90-day extension for the implementation of the capital component of the 2025 Appropriation Act, granting Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete ongoing projects and fully utilise funds already released by the Federal Government.
The extension shifts the implementation deadline from June 30 to September 30, 2026, in a move lawmakers said would prevent the abandonment of critical projects, improve budget performance and ensure value for money in public spending.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by the Senate Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, after the upper chamber suspended Order 1(b) of its Standing Rules to allow for the immediate consideration of the matter.
Leading debate on the motion, Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, explained that the extension became necessary because a substantial portion of funds released for capital projects had yet to be expended by implementing agencies.
According to him, although government had released funds to MDAs for the execution of approved projects, several challenges, including procurement processes, project implementation timelines and administrative bottlenecks, had slowed the pace of spending.
Bamidele noted that the 2025 Appropriation Act was enacted to finance government programmes and projects to promote economic growth, infrastructure development, national security and the welfare of Nigerians.
“The 2025 Appropriation Act was enacted to provide funding for the implementation of government programmes, projects and activities to promote economic growth, infrastructure development, national security and the welfare of Nigerians”, he said.
The Senate Leader warned that allowing the implementation window to expire at the end of June could jeopardise several strategic projects that are already at advanced stages of completion across the country.
“A number of strategic capital projects across critical sectors of the economy are at advanced stages of completion and require additional time for execution, certification and payment”, Bamidele stated.
He stressed that extending the implementation period would enable government agencies to complete ongoing works, process necessary certifications and settle contractors for completed milestones, thereby ensuring that public investments yield their intended benefits.
Supporting the motion, Senator Monguno argued that failure to extend the deadline could result in the abandonment of critical infrastructure and development projects despite significant public resources already committed to them.
“Failure to extend the implementation period may result in the abandonment of critical projects, wastage of already committed public resources and disruption of ongoing government interventions”, he warned.
Monguno maintained that granting the extension would safeguard ongoing projects and ensure continuity in the delivery of key government programmes across various sectors.
Following extensive deliberations, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the motion to a voice vote, which received overwhelming support from lawmakers.
The Senate subsequently resolved to amend the 2025 Appropriation Act by extending the implementation period for its capital component by an additional 90 days.
Lawmakers expressed confidence that the extension would enhance the overall performance of the budget, improve project completion rates and prevent the waste of scarce public funds.
The upper chamber, however, clarified that the extension applies strictly to the capital component of the 2025 budget and does not affect recurrent expenditure.
According to the Senate, the measure is intended to facilitate the efficient utilisation of released funds, strengthen service delivery and ensure greater accountability in the execution of government projects.
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