The joint National Assembly committee expressed outrage over the zero release of capital funds to the Ministry of Interior, a recurring concern raised by MDAs in the ongoing 2026 budget defence exercise
The joint committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives has expressed serious concern over the non-release of capital funds allocated to the Federal Ministry of Interior.
The committee described the situation as a major setback to project execution and institutional performance.
Chairman of the Senate Committee, Adams Oshiomhole, alongside members of the joint committee, raised the alarm during a budget defence session in Abuja, noting that the ministry’s 2024 and 2025 capital budgets had yet to be released.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, informed lawmakers on Tuesday that the ministry recorded zero percent capital budget release for two consecutive years.
He explained that no approved capital allocations for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years had been disbursed, a situation that had effectively stalled project implementation and delayed critical infrastructure development.
“Performance on capital projects during this period stood at zero percent, solely due to the non-release of funds,” Tunji-Ojo stated. He noted that the ministry had planned several key projects across its agencies, but implementation remained impossible without the necessary funding, despite National Assembly budget approvals.
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The minister, however, assured the committee that the ministry had maintained financial discipline by consistently remitting its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, as mandated by law.
Lawmakers expressed frustration over what they described as a recurring delay in the release of budgeted funds to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), warning that such bottlenecks undermine government effectiveness. They emphasised that the National Assembly performs its constitutional duty by approving budgets and expects the executive arm to ensure timely releases for implementation.
The committee also advised ministry officials to prioritise projects based on available approvals and strategic importance to prevent abandoned projects nationwide.
Agencies that appeared for the budget defence include the Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Federal Fire Service.
The development has heightened concerns over gaps in federal budget implementation and the implications for service delivery in critical security and internal administration institutions.
