Tinubu's Govt Faces Backlash Over Alleged Disappearance of Public Spending Records
By: Olufemi Orunsola
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered that the Bola Tinubu-led federal government is facing growing criticism over a lack of transparency in its 2025 fiscal operations, as key public records on federal spending have become inaccessible.
OTN News further reports as gathered that a review by SaharaReporters reveals that critical budget performance and expenditure reporting systems, which have historically allowed Nigerians to track government spending, have not been updated for several months, raising fears of systemic opacity.
The review also pointed out that the Budget Office of the Federation has not published any budget performance report since the second quarter of 2024. This, it said represents a major break in a long-standing tradition of quarterly fiscal reporting that began in 2009, with only minor interruptions in 2010 and 2020.
Similarly, the review pointed out the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has failed to release its monthly economic reports beyond February 2025, leaving at least five months of fiscal activity unaccounted for.
Equally troubling is the Open Treasury Portal, a platform introduced to provide real-time access to government spending data. The review added that the portal currently shows no 2025 expenditure information from federal ministries, departments, and agencies, further deepening concerns about transparency.
Experts warn that the disappearance of these reports undermines public trust and violates fiscal transparency laws. Section 30 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007 explicitly mandates the Minister of Finance, through the Budget Office, to monitor and evaluate annual budget implementation and publish quarterly reports within 30 days after each quarter. These reports are also required to be accessible via the Ministry of Finance’s website and the mass media, the review explained.
Fiscal responsibility advocates caution that the federal government’s noncompliance with this legal requirement not only erodes oversight mechanisms but also creates opportunities for unchecked misuse of public funds.
However, OTN News observes that the continued silence from the Budget Office, the CBN, and the Ministry of Finance has heightened public unease and cast doubt on the Tinubu administration’s commitment to open governance and accountability.
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