Group Queries FG’s Failure to Upload 2026 Budget, Issues 48-Hour Ultimatum

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

A leading civil society organisation, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), has queried the federal government’s failure to upload the 2026 Budget on the website of the Budget of the Federation BoF), 17 days after it was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, in contravention of constitutional and statutory rights of Nigerian citizens.
In a statement signed by CSJ’s Lead Director, Eze Onyekpere, and made available to THISDAY, Monday, the Nigerian knowledge organisation, noted with regret what it described as “the continued grievous violation of the constitutional and statutory right of Nigerians to information on the details of the allocation and management of public expenditure and
resources at the federal level.”
The statement titled, “Where is the 2026 Federal Budget?” noted that from the scheme and trajectory of events, these denials were deliberate and targeted at frustrating the exercise of the right of Nigerians to participate and make informed input into the fiscal governance system.
It recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed and assented to the 2026 federal budget on April 17, 2026.
It lamented, “Today (Monday) is May 4, 2026 and seventeen days after the assent to the budget. A review of the budget segment of the website of the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) which normally hosts the federal budget reveals that it has not been uploaded to the website. “Furthermore, the approved budget is not available on any other public electronic portal of the Federal Government. This continues the trajectory of the deliberate restriction of information and gross dereliction of duties by the BOF and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, considering that the executive budget proposal which was presented by the President to the National Assembly on the 19th of December 2025 was only uploaded to the website on January 8 2026 – twenty days after presentation.
“We are aware that uploading a soft copy of the approved budget to the website of the BOF is an exercise that will not take up to twenty minutes. So, what exactly is responsible for the delay?
“Pray, is the budget still being reviewed and worked upon in the manner of the Tax Bills that were altered after legislative approval? The BOF needs to explain to Nigerians.”
CSJ also stated that it was a matter of grave concern that 17 days after the presidential assent, the BOF, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy had not deemed it fit to have a budget briefing or breakdown session with Nigerians through the media where the details and economic policy leads behind the budget are explained and clarified.
Citing Section 48 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), CSJ reminded the Budget Office of the Federation and the respective ministers of the provisions of the relevant section.
The section states, “The Federal Government shall ensure that its fiscal and financial affairs are conducted in a transparent manner and accordingly ensure full and timely disclosure and wide publication of all transactions and decisions involving public revenues and expenditures and their implications for its finances.”
According to CSJ, “this deliberate refusal by the BoF to perform a statutory duty runs contrary to the entire gamut of the Freedom of Information Act and the constitutional fundamental objective of
participation by the people in their fiscal governance – because no one can participate or make informed contributions without the requisite information.”
CSJ, therefore, demanded that the Director General of the BoF takes immediate action to upload the assented 2026 federal budget to the website of the Office within 48 hours of its media statement.
“This is not a request for a favour. It is a demand for the performance of a
constitutional and statutory duty. If the leadership of the BOF is not ready and willing or not in a position to timely and meticulously perform this duty as they have shown by their previous failure, the option is very clear.
“Resignation is the most clear and reasonable option because no one is entitled to be paid at taxpayers expense and occupy a high public position without the willingness, ability and capacity to perform the functions of the office.
“Finally, we demand that the BoF, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning and the Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister for the Economy urgently hold a 2026 federal budget briefing, being a tradition set over the years of reforms in fiscal governance to improve transparency and accountability in public finance management,” the statement said.