The Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, has explained that delays in the publication of the Federal Government’s Quarterly Budget Implementation Reports were caused by the extension of the 2025 budget implementation period.
In a statement on Monday, Yakubu said fiscal years are determined by law and not strictly by the January-to-December calendar year.
He said the 2025 Appropriation Act was repealed and re-enacted in December 2025, while the implementation period for the budget was extended to June 2026.
According to him, the extension affected the timeline for preparing and publishing the quarterly budget implementation reports.
“The fiscal year is not necessarily synonymous with the calendar year,” Yakubu said.
He added that where the National Assembly extends budget implementation beyond 12 months, the fiscal year also extends accordingly.
“These fiscal adjustments effectively extended the operational lifespan of the 2025 Budget beyond the conventional twelve-calendar-month framework,” he stated.
Yakubu said Nigeria’s fiscal system has previously operated with supplementary budgets, rollover approvals, and other legislative adjustments that extend spending timelines.
He also noted that the Nigerian Constitution allows public spending once it is backed by laws passed by the National Assembly.
“Where the National Assembly lawfully extends expenditure authority beyond a single calendar year, such authority remains legally valid until its expiration under law,” he said.
The Budget Office said the explanation became necessary following public concerns over the timing of recent quarterly budget implementation reports.