Budget Office to Restore Confidence Amid Delays in Fiscal Reporting

By Oluwakemi Kindness

The Budget Office of the Federation has assured Nigerians and development partners of its commitment to transparency in fiscal reporting.

This is following mounting concern over delayed Budget Implementation Reports (BIRs).

The Office, in a statement, explains that the publication of the reports, pending since the second quarter of 2024, was slowed by verification exercises with ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and the transition to a new extended fiscal framework.

These processes, it says, took longer than anticipated during what it described as “an exceptional budget cycle.”

“This delay should not be seen as backsliding, but as a reflection of the care taken to ensure accuracy and credibility in Nigeria’s fiscal reporting,” the statement noted.

To bridge the gap, the Budget Office announced plans to release a provisional full-year 2024 Budget Performance Report by the end of September 2025, alongside consolidated reports for the first and second quarters of 2025.

It further Pledges that quarterly publications will return to schedule from the third quarter of 2025, in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

The agency added that measures are underway to strengthen monitoring systems, deepen collaboration with MDAs, and expand digital integration of expenditure and project data to prevent future delays.

Reiterating the government’s resolve, the Office stressed that publishing credible fiscal data and restoring predictability in the budget cycle remain central to enhancing accountability to citizens, markets, and development partners.