Tinubu Signs 2025 Budget Extension After National Assembly Approval

President Bola Tinubu has signed an amendment extending the implementation of Nigeria’s 2025 budget until December 31, giving federal ministries, departments and agencies another three months to execute outstanding capital projects.

The extension moves the deadline from September 30 to the end of December 2026 and follows the passage of the amendment by both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

According to the presidency, the additional time is intended to allow government agencies to complete ongoing projects and ensure that funds already appropriated for approved programmes are fully utilised.

The extension applies particularly to the capital component of the 2025 Appropriation Act, rather than creating a new budget for the year. It provides additional time for projects and spending commitments that were already captured in the 2025 appropriation.

The latest move is the fourth extension of the implementation window. The deadline was previously shifted from December 31, 2025, to March 31, 2026, then to June 30 and subsequently to September 30.

Lawmakers have cited delays in capital-project execution and the need to prevent ongoing projects from being abandoned as reasons for extending the deadline.

The House of Representatives said economic pressures and other factors had slowed implementation, while the Senate said the extension would provide an administrative window for completing projects at advanced stages and utilising funds already released.

The repeated extensions, however, come as the Federal Government continues to deal with outstanding capital commitments from previous budget years.

The 2026 budget contains about ₦32.2 trillion for capital expenditure, but previous-year obligations have continued to compete for funding. Vanguard reported earlier this month that significant portions of capital allocations from 2024 and 2025 remained tied to unfinished commitments.

With Tinubu’s assent, MDAs now have until December 31 to continue implementing eligible projects under the 2025 capital budget.

The additional three months could determine how much of the outstanding 2025 capital programme is actually delivered before attention shifts fully to the next budget cycle.