Senate extends 2025 budget implementation to December 31

The Senate has approved an extension of the capital implementation deadline for the 2025 Appropriation Act, moving the deadline from September 30 to December 31, 2026. The decision comes after the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), sponsored a bill that further extended the implementation period of the capital component.

Bamidele emphasized that the amendment was necessary due to the suboptimal levels of capital project completion despite the release of funds to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). This marks another extension of the 2025 capital budget, which has already been extended from March 31 to June 30, 2026, and from September 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026.

The extension allows for the completion of ongoing projects and effective utilization of appropriated funds. The decision aligns with the Federal Government's pledge to end the practice of overlapping budgets, although it contradicts the government's earlier justification for extending the 2025 budget.