The Federal Government has commenced payments for outstanding 2024 capital projects, including inherited debts from previous administrations, as part of a drive to accelerate budget implementation ahead of the March 31, 2026 deadline.
Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications and Orientation, Sunday Dare, announced the development via his verified X handle on Friday. He stated that full implementation of capital components in both the 2024 and 2025 budgets is targeted for completion on or before March 31.
“Payments for outstanding 2024 capital projects have now commenced, in addition to settlement of indebtedness from previous administrations,” Dare said.
The announcement follows months of frustration among contractors over delayed payments, which stalled infrastructure projects nationwide, and mounting pressure from the National Assembly to clear outstanding obligations.
For the 2025 capital budget, all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) have been directed to submit their cash plans by February 23, 2026, with payments set to begin immediately thereafter.
The move comes barely two months after President Bola Tinubu presented the N58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill, pledging to end overlapping budgets and ensure full delivery of appropriated funds. In his December 2025 budget speech, Tinubu had acknowledged fiscal constraints, noting that only N3.10 trillion — about 17.7% of the 2025 capital budget — had been released as of the third quarter, largely due to a focus on completing priority 2024 projects.
By June 2025, N2.23 trillion had already been disbursed for 2024 capital projects.
The development also follows assurances from Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, who informed the Senate Committee on Appropriations that all outstanding capital payments under the 2024 and 2025 budgets would be processed before the end of March 2026.
Indigenous contractors had previously protested at the National Assembly in Abuja over unpaid bills, prompting lawmakers to demand full implementation of the 2024 Appropriation Act’s capital component.
President Tinubu has directed the Minister of Finance, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Accountant-General, and Director-General of the Budget Office to ensure strict implementation of the 2026 Budget. He stressed:
“From April, Nigeria will operate on a single budget backed by a single revenue cycle — no overlaps, no excuses, no rollovers. The greatest budget is not the one we announce. It is the one we deliver.”
The 2026 capital expenditure is estimated at N26.08 trillion, prioritising defence and security (N5.41tn), infrastructure (N3.56tn), education (N3.52tn), and health (N2.48tn).
