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President Bola Tinubu has signed the amended 2025 Appropriation Bill into law, extending the implementation period of the budget from September 30 to December 31, 2026
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The amendment followed its swift passage by the Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday, with lawmakers saying the extension was necessary to enable government agencies to complete projects for which funds had already been appropriated and released.
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Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said procurement, contract execution, mobilisation, certification of works and payment processes had contributed to delays in implementing some capital projects within the previous timeframe.
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The latest extension is the fourth time the National Assembly has moved the implementation deadline for the 2025 capital budget, with previous extensions taking the deadline from December 31, 2025, to March 31, June 30 and September 30, 2026.
October 1, (THEWILL) – President Bola Tinubu has signed the amended 2025 Appropriation Bill into law, extending the implementation period of the budget from September 30 to December 31, 2026.
The President’s assent followed the passage of the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, by the Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The development gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) another three months to implement capital projects and programmes captured in the 2025 budget.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, disclosed the President’s assent in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Onanuga said the extension would enable MDAs to complete ongoing capital projects and ensure that funds already appropriated were fully deployed for projects and programmes intended to benefit Nigerians.
“It ensures that funds already appropriated are fully put to work for Nigerians, without disrupting critical programmes,” the statement said.
The Presidency also commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for their prompt consideration and passage of the amendment, describing it as another demonstration of cooperation between the Executive and Legislature in the service of the nation.
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Why National Assembly Extended Deadline
Explaining the rationale behind the amendment during Tuesday’s plenary, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the additional time would allow MDAs to complete capital projects for which funds had already been appropriated and released.
Bamidele pointed to the various stages involved in executing government contracts, including procurement, contract execution, mobilisation, certification of completed works and payment processing.
He said these processes could affect the pace of project implementation within the existing timeframe, making an extension necessary.
THEWILL reports that the latest extension, allows government agencies to continue executing the affected capital projects beyond the September 30 deadline without disrupting programmes already funded under the 2025 Appropriation Act.
Fourth Extension
The extension is the fourth time the National Assembly has shifted the deadline for implementing the 2025 capital budget.
On December 23, 2025, lawmakers approved a three-month extension, moving the deadline to March 31, 2026, following the repeal and re-enactment of the 2024 and 2025 Appropriation Acts.
On March 31, the Senate and House of Representatives again extended the implementation deadline, moving it from March 31 to June 30.
The deadline was subsequently extended on June 15 from June 30 to September 30.
At the time, Bamidele said implementation of capital projects under the 2025 Appropriation Act had not reached an optimal level.
The repeated extensions have largely centred on the need to give MDAs sufficient time to execute projects for which appropriations have already been made, particularly where delays occur during procurement, contracting and payment processes.
With the President’s latest assent, the implementation window for the affected provisions of the 2025 budget will now remain open until December 31, 2026.
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