‘Impeachable offence’ – Reps member fumes over poor budget implementation

The lawmaker representing Borno North Senatorial District, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, has described as an ‘impeachable offense’, failure to implement the capital budget.

Monguno said this on Monday at the Senate Committee on Finance on the state of the nation’s economy, where the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, was responding to questions from the lawmakers.

He said, “Where are these revenues going to if the 2025 budget has not been implemented, and we have to roll over 70% of 2025 to 2026 with the promise that 30% will be implemented before March? Up to March, even 30% was not implemented.

“The National Assembly has to extend the lifespan of the budget up to September to allow government to implement just 30% component of 2025 budget.

“The issue of 2026 had not even arisen at all. So, don’t you think this is contradictory? Or where are these revenues going, to the extent that the budget is not being implemented?

“If the budget is not being implemented, what is the function of government? For example, security of lives and property of the people is the primacy of governance.

“All the security agencies that we have been interacting with, are reporting to us that they have received zero allocation in terms of their capital. Where are these monies going to?

“This is my question. Why is budget not implemented? Because it is a breach of the law, and it’s an impeachable offense.”