A civil society organisation, the Civil Rights Network on Accountability (CRNA), has called on the leadership of the National Assembly to pass a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamsedeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, over what it described as a total failure in implementing the 2025 budget.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, CRNA accused the two top fiscal officials of presiding over a collapse of budget execution several months into the 2025 fiscal year. The statement was jointly signed by the group’s President, Chief Adekunle Ogunsiwaju, and its National Secretary, Nkiru Okoye.
According to the organisation, the inability to commence implementation of even “a single percentage” of the 2025 budget amounts to gross incompetence and a breach of public trust, noting that the finance ministry and the office of the accountant-general have become impediments to governance rather than drivers of service delivery.
“The continued failure of the minister of finance and the accountant-general of the federation to commence meaningful implementation of the 2025 budget is indefensible,” the group stated. “It reflects clear incompetence, poor coordination and a disturbing lack of transparency and accountability in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities.”
CRNA stressed that budget implementation is central to governance, warning that delays at the level of the finance ministry and the treasury directly translate into stalled projects, unpaid obligations, growing public frustration and worsening economic hardship.
The group further warned that retaining both officials in office despite what it called “persistent and glaring failures” could undermine the credibility of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and its economic reform agenda.
“If the president continues to keep them in office, Nigerians should brace for the March 31 deadline for partial implementation of the 2025 budget to be in complete disarray,” the statement said, adding that fiscal discipline cannot be achieved without urgency and capacity in key financial offices.
CRNA also accused the finance ministry and treasury of operating an opaque system marked by poor communication, absence of clear budget execution timelines and lack of public reporting, which it said has eroded public confidence in government.
“There is no transparency regarding cash releases, no accountability on budget performance and no credible explanation for the paralysis Nigerians are witnessing. Such dysfunction would not be tolerated in any serious democracy,” the group declared.
The organisation urged the Senate and the House of Representatives to exercise their oversight powers by passing a vote of no confidence on the affected officials, arguing that such action would demonstrate the legislature’s commitment to accountability.
“The National Assembly must act in defence of the Nigerian people. A vote of no confidence is not hostility; it is a constitutional responsibility when critical institutions of state have failed,” CRNA said.
The group warned that continued delays in budget implementation would worsen poverty levels, stall infrastructure development and further erode public trust, especially amid rising inflation and unemployment.
“This is not about politics, but competence and accountability. Nigeria cannot afford fiscal leadership that has become synonymous with delay, confusion and failure,” the statement concluded.
