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CSJ Urges FG to Release 2026 Capital Funds as Budget Implementation Lags
NIGERIA — The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has called on the Federal Government to immediately release funds for the implementation of the 2026 cap...
By Patience
The organisation made the demand in an open letter to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele. The letter, dated September 9, was also addressed to the leadership of the National Assembly.
CSJ said the Federal Government should release both the outstanding funds needed to complete the carried-over 2025 capital budget and the funds required to begin implementing the 2026 capital budget.
The group argued that annual budgets are expected to be implemented within the financial year for which they are approved. It described the continued practice of carrying capital projects and their funding into subsequent years as a problem that creates uncertainty and delays in public financial management.
According to the organisation, information available to it indicates that the carried-over 2025 Federal Capital Budget had still not been fully funded, with most Ministries, Departments and Agencies receiving less than half of the money required to execute outstanding capital projects.
CSJ further alleged that no funds had been released for the implementation of the 2026 Federal Capital Budget despite the country already being in September, the ninth month of the year.
The organisation called on the Finance Minister to publicly explain the reason for the delay and provide Nigerians with clear information about the status of capital budget releases.
It also referred to provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act requiring monitoring, evaluation and reporting on budget implementation, arguing that greater transparency was necessary to ensure that approved government spending translated into actual projects and services.
CSJ Faults National Assembly
The organisation also criticised the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of failing to use their constitutional oversight powers to compel the Executive to fully implement approved capital budgets.
CSJ said the situation had persisted since 2023, claiming that successive budgets had not been effectively implemented within the financial years for which they were approved.
It questioned why capital spending remained delayed despite what it described as improvements in government revenue. The organisation pointed to reported revenue collections of N21.6 trillion by the Nigeria Revenue Service in the first half of 2026, compared with N14.27 trillion during the corresponding period of 2025.
CSJ also noted that the Federal Government still had unused borrowing approvals from the National Assembly and argued that the removal of fuel subsidy had increased available government resources.
Against that backdrop, the organisation questioned why funding for capital projects remained limited and raised concerns over whether funds from previous years were being held for implementation at a later date.
Concern Over Infrastructure and Public Services
CSJ warned that continued delays in capital budget implementation could worsen economic hardship and restrict the government's ability to deliver critical infrastructure and public services.
The organisation maintained that releasing approved capital funds on time was essential for ensuring that projects contained in the national budget moved beyond allocations on paper and translated into tangible development for Nigerians.
With the 2026 financial year already well advanced, the group is demanding urgent action from the Federal Government to release the outstanding funds and commence full implementation of the year's capital budget.