The budget office says the delay in publishing quarterly budget implementation reports was due to the extension of the 2025 budget implementation timeline to June 2026.
According to Tanimu Yakubu, the director-general (DG), the repeal and re-enactment of the 2025 appropriation act in December last year also affected the publication timeline.
In a statement on Sunday, the DG said the extension altered the normal fiscal reporting cycle and triggered additional reconciliation processes across government agencies.
“The recent adjustment in the publication schedule arose principally from the Repeal and Re-enactment process of the 2025 Appropriation Act concluded in December 2025, together with the subsequent extension of the implementation period of the 2025 Budget to June 2026,” Yakubu said.
“These fiscal adjustments effectively extended the operational lifespan of the 2025 Budget beyond the conventional twelve-month calendar framework ordinarily associated with a fiscal year.”
“Sections 80 and 81 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), do not constitutionalize a rigid twelve-month fiscal implementation cycle,” the DG said.
“Where the National Assembly lawfully extends, reenacts, or preserves expenditure authority beyond a single calendar year, such authority remains legally valid and enforceable until its expiration under law,” Yakubu said.
The DG said the process involved reviews of revenue performance, cash management, expenditure alignment, debt records, and financing updates.
He cited the United States and India as examples of countries whose fiscal years differ from the calendar year.
The DG also referenced Nigeria’s post-COVID budget extensions, saying they were introduced to sustain capital projects, preserve contractors’ liquidity, and reduce economic disruptions.
“The Federal Government remains firmly committed to the principles of open budgeting, fiscal discipline, transparency, constitutional compliance, and accountable public financial management in accordance with global best practices,” he said.