Civic-tech organisation BudgIT has accused the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office of the Federation of breaching Nigeria’s Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, by failing to release Quarterly Budget Implementation Reports (BIRs).
In a statement signed by its Group Senior Communications Associate, Nancy Odimegwu, and made available on Wednesday, the group described the omission as unlawful, a break from established practice, and a blow to transparency reforms that had been sustained by previous administrations.
Under Section 30 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the Minister of Finance is required to publish BIRs in mass and electronic media—including the ministry’s website—within 30 days of the end of each quarter. These reports track government spending and provide critical insights into the delivery of public services.
BudgIT, however, revealed that no BIRs have been published since at least the second quarter of 2024, leaving nearly four reports overdue by mid-2025. By contrast, the organisation noted, past administrations consistently released at least three reports annually.
“Budget Implementation Reports are not only a requirement of the law and established practice, they are an indication of a government’s willingness to be transparent and to provide evidence of its spending,” the group said. “The refusal to publish these reports undermines transparency and accountability. Citizens have a right to know how public funds are spent. This is not just a legal obligation but a cornerstone of democracy.”
The organisation also criticised the government for neglecting other transparency tools such as the OpenTreasury.gov.ng platform, once a central source of daily and monthly federal spending data. The site has not been updated since January 2025.
While acknowledging that the platform was previously imperfect—with gaps and broken links—BudgIT stressed that its existence demonstrated “a willingness of the government to be held accountable.”
The group warned that the absence of regular reports and updated data disrupts private sector planning, civil society advocacy, and academic research, while sending negative signals to the international community about Nigeria’s adherence to global public finance standards.
BudgIT urged the Tinubu administration to urgently publish the overdue BIRs and also release the Federal Cash Plan Disbursement Schedule, as required by Section 26 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, to rebuild trust in the country’s public finance system.
