Budget Office Initiates Planning For 2025 Appropriation Bill

Budget Office Initiates Planning For 2025 Appropriation Bill....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Federal Government has begun preparing the 2025 national budget, with a clear directive to ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to include only projects that fall within their legal mandates. The government also emphasized the need for MDAs to prioritize projects that align with the current administration’s economic objectives……CONTINUE READING 

This directive was delivered by the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, during a training session on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) budget preparation subsystem for MDAs in Abuja on Tuesday.

Yakubu highlighted ongoing concerns about the quality of the national budget, noting that this training is part of broader efforts to enhance the budgetary process.

“The quality of our national budget has been a long-standing concern, with stakeholders often questioning the relevance, execution, and effectiveness of our budgetary proposals,” Yakubu stated. “Today’s training offers a critical opportunity for all ministries, departments, and agencies to reflect on their roles in the budget process. Together, we can ensure that our budget proposals for 2025 are not only robust and focused but also aligned with our national priorities.”

He urged all MDAs to strictly adhere to their legal mandates when submitting budget proposals. “Our executive budget proposals must be coherent and purpose-driven, embodying the government’s vision for security and development,” he said. “You hold the vital responsibility of transforming government priorities into actionable programs and projects.”

This directive comes in response to public complaints about the inclusion of projects outside the primary mandates of government agencies. In 2023, Tracka, a service delivery monitoring platform by BudgIT, reported that over 687 projects worth N112 billion were allocated to agencies beyond their scope of responsibility.

Addressing the economic challenges facing the nation, Yakubu acknowledged the fiscal difficulties exacerbated by insecurity and limited resources, which hinder efforts to reverse economic decline. He noted that the implementation of the GIFMIS Budget Preparation Subsystem is part of the government’s strategy to improve the efficiency of the budgetary process.

“The GIFMIS Budget Preparation Subsystem Training Session provides us with an invaluable opportunity to acquire the tools and knowledge necessary to enhance our budgetary processes. This technology-driven system is designed to improve efficiency, eliminate bottlenecks, and promote accountability,” Yakubu concluded.