Clashes and chaos erupt inside the Nigerian parliament over a proposal to summon President Tinubu
To hold him accountable for the budget execution
Our correspondent in Nigeria – Boubacar Sani:
The Nigerian House of Representatives witnessed a state of Chaos And verbal clashes during Wednesday's session, following a sharp disagreement between lawmakers over a proposal to summon President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to clarify the reasons for the delay in funding constituency projects and the slow implementation of the 2026 budget allocations.
The crisis came after the advancement of Deputy Alex Equigesh, representative of the Northern Aba/Southern Aba constituency in Abia State, with a proposal in which he accused the relevant financial authorities of delaying the disbursement of funds allocated to ministries, departments, and government agencies, which, according to him, led to the disruption of several government projects and the delay in paying contractors.
The debate inside the Nigerian parliament is escalating.
The debate within the House escalated after the representative for Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency in Delta State, Benedict Etanabene, demanded the activation of parliamentary oversight powers and the summoning of President Tinubu along with the government's economic team to provide explanations regarding the suspension of payments for regional intervention projects. This demand followed a circular issued by the Office of the Accountant-General ordering a halt to disbursements pending the completion of verification procedures.
The call sparked widespread division among the MPs, as the session witnessed mutual cheers and objections, amid criticism from members of various parties of what they described as poor budget implementation and delayed release of financial allocations.
Ikwetichig stressed that the credibility of the budget preparation and approval process depends on the commitment to disburse approved funds on time, noting that a number of ministers and heads of government agencies informed parliament, during the discussions of the 2026 budget, that their institutions had only received a limited portion or had not received at all the capital expenditure allocations included in the 2025 budget.
He added that President Tinubu had issued a directive in December 2025 approving the payment of approximately 1.5 trillion naira in documented contractor entitlements, along with the formation of a joint ministerial committee to expedite disbursement. However, the implementation of these directives is still proceeding slowly, which has caused continued delays in projects and increased financial burdens on the executing companies.
The representative also criticized the Treasury Department's circular issued on June 29, 2026, which stipulated that a verification and compliance certificate from the Ministry of Special Affairs and Federal Government Relations must be obtained before disbursing entitlements for constituency projects, considering this measure adds more bureaucratic complexities and delays project implementation.
Despite MP Etanabain's insistence on the President's presence in Parliament to provide clarifications, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajeddine Abbes, rejected the proposal, emphasizing that summoning the President in this manner does not align with parliamentary norms.
At the end of the session, the council approved the core recommendations of the proposal, without summoning the President, calling on the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Budget Office, the Office of the Accountant General, and the Central Bank of Nigeria to expedite the disbursement of funds, announce a clear timeline for the financing of the 2026 budget, and settle contractors' entitlements after completing verification procedures.
