A civic advocacy group, Legislative Watch, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to explain why funds appropriated for capital projects across the country have not been released despite their inclusion in successive national budgets.
The group said the continued delay in funding approved capital projects has stalled budget implementation, left contractors unpaid, and raised concerns about the management of government revenues.
In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, the Convener of the group, Alfred Uche, said Nigerians deserved to know how government revenues were being utilised when capital projects captured in the 2024 and 2025 budgets remained largely unfunded.
“The implementation of the 2024 and 2025 budgets has been nothing but a failure. Most of the capital projects captured in the 2025 budget have not been funded, while outstanding payments for projects executed under the 2024 budget have been abandoned,” Uche said.
He urged President Tinubu to provide a public explanation on the status of funds appropriated for capital projects, insisting that transparency was necessary to restore public confidence in the budget process.
“Mr. President needs to tell Nigerians what is happening and why capital budgets of lawmakers are not being funded despite the fact that many contractors have completed the projects captured under those appropriations,” he stated.
According to the group, contractors who executed government-approved projects have been left burdened with debts after financing the contracts through loans, with many yet to receive payment months after completion.
Legislative Watch questioned where the revenues meant for capital expenditure were being channelled and called on the Federal Government to account for the non-release of funds.
The group maintained that the issue went beyond projects linked to lawmakers, stressing that delayed releases had affected capital projects across several sectors and undermined the purpose of annual budget appropriations.
Backing the concerns, a federal lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said uncertainty over funding had discouraged many contractors from taking on projects proposed in the 2026 budget.
“The situation is so critical that contractors are no longer willing to take up capital projects for the 2026 budget because they are uncertain when or whether they will be paid,” the lawmaker said.
Legislative Watch also called on the National Assembly to exercise its constitutional oversight responsibilities by demanding a full explanation from the executive on the implementation of capital budgets.
The group warned that if lawmakers failed to compel the President to disclose why appropriated capital project funds had not been released, it would mobilise citizens for nationwide protests until Nigerians received clear answers.
“We make a passionate appeal to President Tinubu to ensure that these capital funds, already appropriated, are paid without further delay. Many of these completed projects were executed with borrowed funds, yet the contractors remain unpaid while some lawmakers publicly present the same projects as achievements that reflect positively on the administration,” Uche said.
The organisation insisted that immediate release of outstanding capital project funds and greater transparency over public revenue would not only ease the hardship faced by contractors but also restore confidence in government budgeting and accelerate infrastructure development across the country.
(Ripples)
