Nearly a year has passed, yet Nigerians remain in the dark about how their government spends public funds.
Despite a legal obligation to publish quarterly Budget Implementation Reports (BIRs), the Tinubu administration has failed to release a single one since mid-2024 — a silence that civic-tech group BudgIT warns is eroding transparency, accountability, and trust in the country’s fiscal management.
BudgIT Raises Alarm
On Thursday, BudgIT, a civic-tech group that tracks government spending, raised the alarm.
The organisation’s senior communications associate, Nancy Odimegwu, stressed: “Budget Implementation Reports (BIRs) do not just fulfil the law; they prove whether a government intends to be transparent.”
The law requires the finance minister to release each report within 30 days of every quarter’s end.
Under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, the government consistently published at least three per year.
In contrast, President Tinubu has missed four straight quarters—from Q2 2024 through Q2 2025—without releasing a single one.
Transparency Gaps Widen
Furthermore, BudgIT urged the administration to expand transparency.
The Fiscal Responsibility Act demands not only quarterly reports but also a Federal Cash Plan Disbursement Schedule.
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Yet the government has ignored this provision as well.
Consequently, the failure carries real costs.
Investors rely on credible data before committing capital.
Civil society and academics need accurate figures for advocacy and research.
Meanwhile, the international community gauges Nigeria’s credibility through such financial disclosures.
Accountability On Trial
BudgIT’s head of research and policy advisory, Vahyala Kwaga, criticised the silence.
“The administration discourages confidence by refusing to publish what previous governments treated as routine.
In a democracy, the government must obey its own laws.
Nigerians have the right to know how officials spend their money.”
Instead of publishing data, ministers now deliver soundbites in the media.
BudgIT insists speeches cannot replace hard evidence. With each passing quarter, the missing reports turn from technical oversight into a symbol of secrecy.
