President Bola Tinubu has signed the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, into law. The bill extends the implementation period of the capital component of the 2025 budget from 30 September to 31 December 2026. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga announced the assent in a statement on Wednesday. The President signed the bill barely 24 hours after the National Assembly passed it.
This is the fourth extension of the 2025 capital budget. It was initially scheduled to lapse on 31 December 2025. The National Assembly first extended it to 31 March 2026. It then moved to 30 June. It moved again to 30 September. On 9 October 2025, former Finance Minister Wale Edun pledged before the Senate Committee on Finance that the government would end the practice of extending budget implementation beyond the fiscal year. In December 2025, Tinubu also promised to stop operating overlapping budgets while presenting the 2026 budget.
Onanuga said the extension gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies more time to complete ongoing capital projects. It ensures funds already appropriated are fully put to work for Nigerians without disrupting critical programmes. The President commended the National Assembly for its prompt consideration of the bill, calling it a sign of cooperation between the Executive and the Legislature. The repeated extensions have drawn criticism from lawmakers and economic analysts who see the practice as a symptom of poor budget planning and execution.
Winners: MDAs, which gain more time to spend allocated funds. Contractors, who gain continued work. Lawmakers, who avoid blame for abandoned projects. Losers: Taxpayers, whose funds are delayed. The 2026 budget, which competes with 2025 projects. The government’s credibility, which suffers from broken pledges. Future administrations, which inherit the fiscal disorder.
Bottom Line: The 2025 capital budget now runs until December. That is its fourth extension. MDAs have a year to spend money appropriated for 2025. Overlapping budgets waste resources. The pledge to end them was forgotten.