Citizens Hail Budget Office DG Tanimu Yakubu for Transparency, Improved Fiscal Management
A civic accountability organisation, the Network for Fiscal Transparency and Development (NFTD), has commended the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, for ushering in what it described as a new era of transparency, discipline, and measurable performance in Nigeria’s budget management process.
In a statement released on Sunday and signed by the group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Joshua Oyenuga, NFTD said the recently released 2024 Budget Implementation Report by the Budget Office reflects a credible transformation in the nation’s fiscal management system.
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Transparency and results-driven budgeting
According to the statement, the 2024 report revealed that over 81 percent of funds released to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for capital projects were effectively utilised.
NFTD said this performance signifies improved efficiency and a renewed culture of openness in the public finance sector.
“Under Mr. Tanimu Yakubu, the Budget Office has redefined fiscal governance.
What we are seeing is not just higher utilisation rates but a clear alignment between budget releases, project execution, and results that citizens can verify,” the statement read.
The group noted that the 2024 fiscal year stood out as one of the most transparent implementation cycles in recent times, with quarterly reports published promptly and made accessible to the public.
This, it said, has strengthened citizens’ confidence in government spending and enhanced the credibility of Nigeria’s budget process.
Building trust through open reporting
NFTD praised the Budget Office’s consistent publication of detailed budget performance reports, describing it as a sign that transparency has become an institutional value rather than an afterthought.
“The sustained publication of budget implementation reports shows that transparency is now the working principle of the Budget Office. This is how institutions earn trust,” Oyenuga said.
The group also highlighted that the rise in non-oil revenue — including corporate income taxes, VAT, customs duties, and digital transfer levies — demonstrates the government’s commitment to economic diversification and performance-based budgeting.
Reforms driving accountability in spending
NFTD credited Yakubu’s leadership for strengthening monitoring, compliance, and feedback mechanisms that ensure funds are tied to measurable progress, particularly across key sectors such as infrastructure, education, and healthcare.
“By linking disbursements to verifiable progress, the Budget Office is building a culture where performance determines funding,” the group added.
A call to sustain and deepen reforms
The civic coalition urged the federal government to consolidate the Budget Office’s achievements by institutionalising transparency frameworks and deepening partnerships with civil society organisations for independent monitoring of capital projects.
“The 2024 report tells a larger story that Nigeria’s budgeting system can work when guided by integrity, data, and transparency. It is a model that should be strengthened, not abandoned,” NFTD stated.
With Yakubu’s reforms gaining traction, observers say Nigeria’s fiscal landscape may be on the path toward a more accountable, efficient, and citizen-focused budgeting system.
2025 budget: FG sets new crude oil production target
Legit.ng earlier reported that Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) has challenged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) to reach crude oil production target to 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of 2025.
The latest target surpasses the 2 million bpd earlier set by President Bola Tinubu.
Lokpobiri disclosed the new target while speaking on the sidelines of the Oil Technology Conference at the Africa Energy Forum in the United States.
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Source: Legit.ng
