President Bola Tinubu has transmitted fresh Appropriation (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bills for 2024 and 2025 to the House of Representatives, seeking to repeal the existing budgets and replace them with revised expenditure frameworks aligned with current fiscal realities.
The request was announced on Friday during plenary by the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, while reading a letter from the president titled, “Transmission of the Appropriation (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bills, 2024 and 2025.”
In the letter, Mr Tinubu informed the House that the bills were submitted in line with the constitutional and legislative appropriation process. He explained that the proposals were intended to address items not previously recognised in the budgets and to strengthen fiscal planning, execution and accountability.
According to him, the first bill seeks to repeal the 2024 Appropriation Act of N35.06 trillion and re-enact it with an increased total expenditure of N43.56 trillion for the year ending 31 December 2025.
The proposed figure comprises N1.74 trillion for statutory transfers, N8.27 trillion for debt service, N11.27 trillion for recurrent non-debt expenditure, and N22.28 trillion for capital expenditure and development fund contributions.
The second bill seeks to repeal the 2025 Appropriation Act of N54.99 trillion and re-enact it with a reduced total expenditure of N48.32 trillion for the period ending 31 March 2026. The revised proposal allocates N3.65 trillion for statutory transfers, N4.32 trillion for debt service, N13.59 trillion for recurrent non-debt expenditure, and N16.71 trillion for capital expenditure and development fund contributions.
Mr Tinubu noted that the revised budgets reflect a capital implementation target of 30 per cent, which he said was more consistent with prevailing fiscal conditions and the government’s execution capacity. He added that the proposal also seeks to extend the implementation of the 2025 budget to 31 March 2026 to ensure the full release of the targeted capital allocation to all ministries, departments and agencies.
“The House of Representatives is invited to note that the bills are submitted to cater for all items not previously recognised, while also reflecting a revised capital implementation target of 30 per cent.
“In addition, this adjustment aligns with current fiscal realities and execution capacities, while ensuring that budget performance remains credible and transparent.
“It further seeks to extend the 2025 Budget to March 31, 2026, to allow for full release of the target 30 per cent for all MDAs,” it read.
The president described the request as part of broader fiscal reform measures aimed at eliminating the overlap of multiple concurrently running budgets.
According to him, the reforms are designed to strengthen planning, improve execution and enhance accountability across government expenditure cycles, while providing a transparent and constitutionally grounded appropriation framework.
He further explained that the bills contain provisions to tighten implementation discipline, including strict application of appropriated funds to purposes specified in the schedules, limitations on virement without prior approval of the National Assembly, conditions for corrigenda where genuine errors may hinder implementation, and separate recording of excess revenue.
The proposals also require that excess revenue be spent only with legislative approval and mandate due-process compliance, as well as periodic reporting on fund releases and agency revenues.
Mr Tinubu informed the House that the new submission supersedes an earlier letter dated 16 December. He appealed to lawmakers to consider and pass the bills expeditiously.
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After reading the letter, Mr Tajudeen said the House leadership had consulted with the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations and the Clerk of the House and agreed that the documents should be referred to the committee for detailed legislative action.
“Honourable colleagues, we have agreed with the Chairman of Appropriation and the Clerk that it will be better if we refer this document to the Appropriation Committee and reconvene on Tuesday next week to consider the two requests,” the speaker said.
The House subsequently referred the bills to the committee for further consideration and report.
