Group Urges National Assembly to Pass Vote of No Confidence on Finance Minister, Accountant-General Over 2025 Budget Failure

The Civil Rights Network on Accountability (CRNA) has called on the leadership of the National Assembly to pass a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamsedeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, over what it described as a “total breakdown” in fiscal management and budget execution.

In a statement released in Abuja on Tuesday, and jointly signed by the group’s President, Chief Adekunle Ogunsiwaju, and its National Secretary, Nkiru Okoye, CRNA condemned the failure of both officials to implement “even a single percentage” of the 2025 budget months into the fiscal year, describing the situation as gross incompetence and a serious breach of public trust.
The organisation said the development reflects a dangerous malfunction at the core of government operations, warning that the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General have turned into impediments to effective governance instead of facilitators of service delivery.
“The persistent failure of the Minister of Finance and the Accountant-General of the Federation to initiate any meaningful implementation of the 2025 budget is indefensible,” the statement said.
“It clearly reflects incompetence, lack of coordination, and a disturbing absence of transparency and accountability in the performance of their constitutional duties.”
CRNA stressed that budget implementation is central to governance and not merely a formality, noting that delays within the finance ministry and treasury have resulted in stalled projects, unpaid commitments, increased public dissatisfaction and worsening economic hardship.
The group added that when officials responsible for managing national finances are unable to activate even the most basic components of a duly approved and signed budget, the issue transcends administrative failure and becomes a full-blown governance crisis.
“Nigerians are justified in asking what the Minister of Finance and the Accountant-General have been doing while the country continues to suffer,” the statement noted.
CRNA further cautioned that President Bola Tinubu’s decision to retain both officials in office, despite what it termed “repeated and obvious failures,” could severely damage the credibility of the administration and undermine its economic reform agenda.
“If the president insists on keeping them as Minister of Finance and Accountant-General, Nigerians should brace for the March 31 deadline for partial implementation of the 2025 budget to descend into complete chaos. Fiscal discipline and economic reform cannot be achieved with officials who lack urgency and capacity,” the group said.
The organisation also accused the two officials of overseeing a system characterised by secrecy and ineffective communication, arguing that the lack of clear budget execution schedules and transparent public reporting has eroded confidence in government.
“There is no clarity on cash releases, no accountability on budget performance, and no credible explanation to Nigerians for the paralysis currently on display. Such dysfunction would be unacceptable in any serious democracy,” the statement declared.
CRNA urged the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives to assert their oversight responsibilities, insisting that passing a vote of no confidence would send a strong message that fiscal irresponsibility and administrative inertia will not be tolerated.
“The National Assembly must fulfil its constitutional obligation and act in the interest of the Nigerian people. A vote of no confidence is not hostility; it is a necessary act of responsibility when critical state institutions have failed,” the group stated.
The organisation warned that continued delays in budget implementation would worsen poverty levels, halt infrastructure development and further weaken public trust in government, especially at a time when Nigerians are battling inflation and unemployment.
“This is not a political matter; it is about competence and accountability. Nigeria cannot afford leadership at the finance ministry and treasury that has come to represent delay, confusion and failure,” the statement concluded.