POLITICS
NASS to Reduce Budget Deficit Through Finance Act Amendment – Senate
The N11.03 trillion deficit proposed in the N19.76 trillion 2023 budget as indicated in 2023-2025 MTEF and FSP will be tackled by the National Assembly via necessary amendments of relevant provisions of the Finance Act .
Chairman, Senate Committee on General Services, Sen.
Sani Musa ( APC Niger-East) made the discourse while speaking with newsmen in Abuja.The Senate had, through its Committee on Finance at an interactive session with the Minister of Finance , Budget and National Planning , Mrs Zainab Ahmed on 2023-2025 MTEF and FSP, decried the proposed deficit as proposed in the N19.
76 trillion 2023 budget .Sen. Solomon Adeola ( APC Lagos) and Chairman Senate Committee on Finance, had told heads of revenue generating agencies to evolve other sources of revenue generation to reduce borrowing and ultimately the deficit in the nation’s budget.
Musa, however, said there was an urgent need to look into other areas beyond crude oil, to generate revenue to fund the budget and ultimately reduce the deficit in the budgetary provision.
He said: “The budget of this country has been in deficit and the only thing we can do is to amend so many things in the Finance Act.
He said this would enable the generation of more revenues from other sources rather than depending on oil alone and by extension, reduce the size of proposed budget deficit.
Musa said the ninth Senate had done creditably, given the laudable bills passed to improve the economy, adding that the renovation of National Assembly complex was also a steering achievement of the ninth Assembly.
He said given the renovation, a temporal chamber for plenary was being put in place for senators ahead of its resumption on Sept. 20.
“By now the temporary chambers should have been ready knowing that we are resuming.
“Initially we are supposed to resume on the 20th of this month but there are some little things that need to be done before then .
” But I can assure the general public that this will be done in the shortest time and we are going to resume to receive Mr President and to present the 2023 Budget.
“You will recall that the ninth Senate has done very well, because this edifice since it was built, has never been rehabilitated; we are refurbishing it, bringing it back to standard like any other parliament you see around the world.
“The FCT that is doing this Job, has been up and doing, but we need to push, they need to do more so that we will be able to resume as quick as possible.”
Commenting further on the general renovation work going on at the National Assembly, Musa said it was an overdue project and very necessary in making the NASS, particularly the hallowed Chambers, to meet up with global standard.
“It is a great achievement for us that we are renovating the National Assembly complex that has been built over 20 years.
” What we read from the newspapers that NASS leadership has not done anything on the leaking roof, is not true.
“This edifice is supposed to be managed and taken care by the FCT, because it is their property, but now we have taken it as a responsibility on us to make sure we renovate it.
“I’m sure that by the time the renovation of the National Assembly chambers is completed, other African countries will come to see and make Nigeria as a case study and see how we have improved on parliamentary infrastructure.”(NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has signed the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, extending the implementation period of the 2025 budget from September 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026.
The amendment was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, before being transmitted to the President for assent.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the extension will give Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete ongoing capital projects.
The statement said the move would ensure that funds already appropriated are fully utilised without disrupting critical government programmes.
“The extension gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies more time to complete ongoing capital projects,” the statement said.
“It ensures that funds already appropriated are fully put to work for Nigerians, without disrupting critical programmes.”
Tinubu also commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for what the statement described as the prompt consideration of the amendment.
The president said the development demonstrated continued cooperation between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in the interest of the country.
The amendment therefore allows the Federal Government to continue implementing the 2025 budget until December 31, 2026, instead of the earlier September 30 deadline.
President Bola Tinubu has submitted the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the House of Representatives for consideration and passage.
This is contained in a letter dated Aug.
20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen and read by the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu at plenary on Tuesday in Abuja.In the letter, Tinubu said that the budget was prepared by the Minister of Niger Delta Development in line with the provisions of Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, the proposal was based on the NDDC’s revenue and expenditure forecasts and it aligned with the fiscal and developmental policies of the Federal Government and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said that the proposal also took into consideration the 2024–2026 Economic Recovery Growth Plan as well as key assumptions of the 2026 Appropriation Act of the Federal Government.
The President said the NDDC had prioritised programmes aimed at improving youth empowerment, energy and power supply, education, industrial and enterprise development, health and security.
He also listed increased agricultural productivity among the commission’s priorities, saying the interventions were intended to lift a significant number of citizens out of poverty.
Tinubu urged the House to give the proposal consideration and ensure its timely passage.
“I look forward to the timely passage of the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the NDDC by the House of Representatives,” he said. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, has charged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to translate the findings of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) into concrete improvements in their operations in order to strengthen accountability and public trust.
He gave the charge while delivering the keynote address at the presentation of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index held at the Auditorium of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.
The SGF said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, remains committed to open, accountable and responsible governance, stressing that public institutions must ensure that their policies, programmes and actions are transparent, visible and understandable to Nigerians.
According to him, the Index has become a vital instrument for assessing accountability, openness and ethical standards across government institutions, while providing MDAs with clear benchmarks to identify areas of strength and gaps requiring improvement.
He urged heads of MDAs to integrate the findings and indicators of the Index into strategic planning, performance management, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training and digital disclosure rather than allow the report to become another document left unused.
“The report should not sit on the shelf and should inform management decisions, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training, digital disclosure, and how you communicate with the public,” he said.
Akume emphasised that transparency should be viewed as an institutional asset rather than an administrative burden, noting that integrity must be embedded in the procedures and culture of public institutions through clear policies, proper record-keeping, effective oversight, ethical leadership and consequences for wrongdoing.
He further tasked MDAs to take advantage of technology by ensuring that their websites and data portals provide accurate, timely and user-friendly information, including current budget, contract and service information, to enable citizens to effectively engage government and track the utilisation of public resources.
The SGF explained that the 2026 TII assesses public institutions in five critical areas comprising fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, human resources and inclusion, control of corruption and citizens’ engagement, adding that the initiative complements existing public service reforms, anti-corruption measures and Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership commitments.
He noted that the ultimate objective of transparency and integrity should go beyond institutional rankings to building public institutions that Nigerians can understand, engage with and hold accountable, while safeguarding public resources and improving service delivery.
“The Federal Government remains fully committed to this goal. We will continue building institutions that are transparent, accountable, professional and responsive to the needs of the people,” the SGF said.
Akume commended the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) for sustaining the initiative, while calling for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, professional bodies, development partners and the media in strengthening transparency and bringing corruption to its knees.
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