Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Minister of Finance and Economy, Wale Edun
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government plans to roll over about 70 per cent of the 2025 budget into 2026, raising concerns among senators over fiscal discipline and budget implementation.
Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, disclosed this on Monday during an interactive session with the Senate Committee on Finance on the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP).
Edun says only 30 per cent of the 2025 budget is fully funded, making a rollover unavoidable. He adds that the 2024 budget has been extended and largely implemented, particularly on the capital expenditure side. “Revenue mobilisation has improved, but the focus for 2026 is revenue optimisation, not borrowing,” Edun tells lawmakers.
He notes that government revenue estimates doubled from ₦20 trillion in 2024 to ₦40 trillion in 2025, although actual collections remain below projections.
Lawmakers raise concerns over delayed constituency projects and warn that Nigeria risks operating “three budgets at once.” Senator Danjuma Goje questions why projects remain unimplemented despite reported revenue gains.
The Accountant-General of the Federation, Babatunde Ogunjimi, says arrangements are in place to clear outstanding 2024 obligations, with indigenous contractors already paid up to 80 per cent.
Some senators criticise the rollover plan as semantic, while others urge swift payment of contractors. In response, Edun says the strategy is designed to ensure 2026 runs as a single, clean budget year, especially as oil revenue remains uncertain.
The committee sets up a three-man team to work with the economic team on fast-tracking contractor payments and scrutinising MTEF assumptions.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Koko Maxwella 