Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday called for the resignation of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), Zacch Adedeji, amid outrage over the zero or near-zero implementation of the capital component of the 2025 federal budget.
The demand surfaced during a tense session of the House Committee on Appropriation, where the economic team appeared to explain the non-release of funds for capital projects despite reported revenue improvements and excess crude earnings in 2025.
Lawmakers accused the officials of incompetence and mismanagement, with the meeting reportedly turning rowdy as some members shouted for the ministers to step down.
Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Hon. Abubakar Bichi, opened the session by highlighting the failure to disburse approved capital funds, which has stalled infrastructure, security, and development projects across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
The committee noted that the National Assembly had earlier approved an executive request for N1.15 trillion to fund specific capital items in 2025, yet releases remained effectively zero.
Minister Edun defended the government's fiscal strategy, explaining that prior reliance on ways and means financing and subsidy under-recoveries had been curtailed under the current administration.
He deferred detailed explanations on capital releases to the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, who was invited to appear before the committee the following day.Minister Bagudu clarified that, following consultations with the National Assembly, about 70% of the 2025 capital allocation had been rolled over into the 2026 budget to ensure better funding certainty and execution.
He emphasized ongoing efforts to address implementation gaps through executive orders and improved revenue performance.
NRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji attributed budget shortfalls in 2024 and 2025 to unrealistic revenue projections in previous years, while noting that non-oil tax collections had exceeded targets in recent periods, supporting a higher N40.7 trillion revenue goal for 2026.
The lawmakers expressed deep frustration, arguing that improved revenues should have translated into tangible capital spending rather than project delays.
The session underscored broader concerns in the National Assembly about poor budget performance, with similar complaints raised in Senate interactions and MDA budget defenses.
The development comes as the 2026 budget proposal faces scrutiny, with lawmakers warning that persistent under-implementation could hinder economic recovery and infrastructure delivery.
The House has summoned further appearances to resolve the issues, amid calls for urgent presidential intervention in funding mechanisms.
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