Citing delays in implementing the capital section of the 2024 budget, Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West) charged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with prioritizing political ambition over national progress in a daring critique on the Nigerian Senate floor.
Senator Dickson voiced worry at Tuesday’s plenary session that the federal government has not released funds for capital projects, even though it has fully disbursed the recurring expenditures intended for administrative operations and wages.
“That means the government has grounded,” he said. “Contractors who completed government projects are still not being paid. We all worked hard to pass the budget, but the people have not benefited from it.
The national budget’s development component, which has a direct impact on infrastructure and service delivery, is still unaltered, the senator bemoaned. “Many lawmakers were aware of the growing frustration,” he said, citing recent reports of rallies by irate contractors.
Dickson said this as the Senate Committee on Appropriations was debating a resolution that was sponsored by Senator Solomon Adeola (Ogun West). The motion proposed delaying the 2024 capital budget’s implementation date to December 31, 2025.
Dickson defended the motion but noted the lack of a convincing justification for the budget rollout’s delay. Ahead of the general elections in 2027, he said, an overemphasis on political maneuvers and defections might be diverting the administration from its primary duties as a government.
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“Perhaps there is too much focus on politics and 2027,” he remarked. “Perhaps everyone is too focused on catching defectors and not considering the wider picture.”
He issued a warning that, in spite of higher revenue after gasoline subsidies were eliminated, the legislative and executive branches are failing to fulfill their constitutional obligations.
Money availability is not the problem. More money is being given to state and local governments than ever before. What, therefore, is the cause of the wait?
Dickson urged the Senate Committees on Appropriation and Finance to launch a joint probe and report their findings within a week, calling for an immediate investigation into the issue.
“We require clarifications. To prevent a recurrence of this circumstance, these committees ought to conduct a fact-finding trip and submit their findings to the Senate.
The senator’s remarks demonstrate rising apprehension about the governance priorities of the Tinubu administration and the practical effects of postponed infrastructure spending on both contractors and people.
