The Centre for Social Justice, CSJ, has raised alarm over the Federal Government’s failure to make public the details of the 2026 Appropriation Act, describing the delay as a deliberate breach of Nigerians’ constitutional right to information and participation in fiscal governance.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Lead Director, Eze Onyekpere, said it was unacceptable that 17 days after President Bola Tinubu assented to the budget, the document had yet to be uploaded on any official government platform.
According to CSJ, a review of the website of the Budget Office of the Federation, BOF, which traditionally hosts such documents, showed no trace of the approved budget.
The organisation noted that the absence of the document from other government portals further deepens concerns about transparency and accountability in public finance management.
The group argued that the delay follows a troubling pattern, recalling that the 2026 executive budget proposal, submitted to the National Assembly on December 19, 2025, was only published online twenty days later.
It described this trend as a “deliberate restriction of information” and a dereliction of statutory duty by both the BOF and the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
CSJ questioned the rationale behind the delay, stressing that uploading a soft copy of the budget should take only minutes.
It warned that any attempt to alter the approved document post-assent would undermine legislative authority and public trust.
The organisation also faulted the silence of key fiscal authorities, noting that neither the BOF nor the ministers responsible for budget and economic planning, as well as finance, had addressed Nigerians through a formal budget breakdown or briefing.
Citing Section 48(1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, CSJ emphasised that the Federal Government is legally bound to ensure full and timely disclosure of all decisions involving public revenues and expenditures.
It added that the continued withholding of the budget contradicts both the Freedom of Information Act and constitutional provisions that guarantee citizens’ participation in governance.
CSJ issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Director-General of the BOF to upload the assented 2026 budget, insisting that compliance is not optional but a statutory obligation.
The group warned that failure to act would further erode confidence in public institutions and accountability mechanisms.
The organisation called on officials unwilling or unable to perform their duties to consider stepping down, stressing that public office is a responsibility, not an entitlement.
The group also called for an urgent public briefing on the 2026 budget, urging fiscal authorities to uphold longstanding reform traditions aimed at promoting transparency, clarity, and citizen engagement in Nigeria’s budgeting process.
