Pass Vote Of No Confidence on Finance Minister, Accountant-General Over 2025 Budget Failure — Group Tells National Assembly Leadership

The Civil Rights Network on Accountability (CRNA) has asked 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, citing a “total collapse” of fiscal leadership and budget execution.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday and signed by Chief Adekunle Ogunsiwaju, president of the group, and Nkiru Okoye, its national secretary, CRNA said the inability of both officials to implement “a single percentage” of the 2025 budget several months into the fiscal year amounted to gross incompetence and a breach of public trust.

The group said the situation represents a dangerous failure at the very heart of government, warning that the finance ministry and the office of the accountant-general have become major obstacles to governance rather than instruments for delivery.

“The continued failure of the minister of finance and the accountant-general of the federation to commence meaningful implementation of the 2025 budget is indefensible,” the statement reads.

“It shows clear incompetence, absence of coordination, and a troubling lack of transparency and accountability in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities.”

CRNA said budget implementation is not a ceremonial exercise but the backbone of governance, adding that delays at the level of the finance ministry and treasury translate directly into stalled projects, unpaid obligations, rising public frustration and deepening economic hardship.

“When those entrusted with managing the nation’s finances cannot activate even the most basic elements of a duly passed and signed budget, it is no longer an administrative lapse; it is a governance crisis. Nigerians are entitled to ask what exactly the minister of finance and the accountant-general have been doing while the country bleeds,” the statement added.

The group warned that President Bola Tinubu’s decision to retain both officials in office despite what it described as “persistent and glaring failures” could have severe consequences for the government’s credibility and economic agenda.

“If the president continues to keep them in office as minister of finance and accountant-general, then Nigerians should prepare for the March 31 deadline for partial implementation of the 2025 budget to be in complete and total shambles. You cannot deliver fiscal discipline or economic reform with officials who have shown neither urgency nor capacity,” the group said.

The CRNA accused both officials of presiding over a system marked by opacity and poor communication, arguing that the absence of clear budget execution timelines and public reporting undermines confidence in government.

“There is no transparency as to cash releases, no accountability on budget performance, and no credible explanation to Nigerians for the paralysis we are witnessing. This level of dysfunction would not be tolerated in any serious democracy,” the citizens group declared.

The group urged the leadership of the senate and the house of representatives to exercise their oversight powers decisively, insisting that a vote of no confidence would send a strong signal that fiscal recklessness and administrative inertia will not be excused.

“The National Assembly must rise to its constitutional duty and act in defence of the Nigerian people. Passing a vote of no confidence is not an act of hostility; it is an act of responsibility when critical institutions of state have failed,” the group announced.

CRNA warned that continued budget paralysis would deepen poverty, stall infrastructure projects and further erode public trust in government, particularly at a time when Nigerians are already grappling with inflation and unemployment.

“This is not about politics; it is about competence and accountability. Nigeria cannot afford a finance ministry and treasury leadership that have become symbols of delay, confusion and failure,” the statement added.