By Tracy Moses
A move by a lawmaker to summon President Bola Ahmed Tinubu before the House of Representatives over alleged delays in the release of funds for capital projects was blocked on Wednesday after Speaker Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas ruled that the request was not properly before the chamber.
The development triggered a procedural disagreement during plenary as lawmakers debated a motion on poor funding of appropriated budgets and delays in the release of funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), an issue raised during the ongoing 2026 budget defence sessions.
The motion, sponsored by Hon. Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, sought urgent action to address funding gaps affecting the implementation of government projects.
However, while presenting the motion, Ikwechegh introduced an additional prayer requesting that President Tinubu appear before the House to explain the continued delays in budget releases, despite the prayer not being contained in the original document submitted to the Speaker.
The move drew objections from some lawmakers, including Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, who argued that officials directly responsible for managing public finances should be invited to explain the challenges rather than the President.
As arguments intensified, Speaker Abbas intervened, insisting that the House must operate within the framework of its Standing Orders and could not consider a prayer that was not part of the motion formally submitted.
Addressing Ikwechegh, Abbas said:
“Hon. Mascot, you gave me a copy of your motion and what is contained on prayer five is that an ad hoc committee should be constituted to interact with the relevant agencies. So, it is wrong for you to attempt to bring in what is not contained here.”
The Speaker further stated:
“Honourable colleagues, what Hon. Mascot read was a complete deviation from the motion he presented to me. Hon. Mascot, kindly bring out the motion you read out and let us see where the prayer to invite the President was included.”
Warning members against bypassing legislative procedures, Abbas added:
“You cannot ambush the House. Bringing in extraneous materials into a duly submitted motion is not allowed. Hon. Mascot, honour begets honour and we should not be mischievous about what we do here.”
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu also cautioned lawmakers against disregarding parliamentary rules, reminding members that the legislature must uphold the same laws and procedures it creates for the country.
Following the Speaker’s ruling, the motion was put to a voice vote and adopted without the disputed prayer seeking President Tinubu’s appearance before the House.
Earlier, while moving the motion, Ikwechegh argued that while Sections 80 and 81 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) empower the National Assembly to appropriate funds, the success of any budget depends not only on allocations but also on timely releases, cash-backing and effective utilisation by MDAs.
He told lawmakers that revelations from the ongoing 2026 budget defence sessions showed significant gaps in the implementation of the 2025 budget, with some agencies recording no capital releases during the fiscal year and others receiving only a small portion of their approved allocations.
The lawmaker also highlighted the plight of indigenous contractors who have repeatedly protested at the Federal Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly over unpaid certificates for completed projects.
According to him, many contractors had suffered financial hardship after borrowing from commercial banks to execute government contracts without receiving corresponding payments.
Ikwechegh recalled that President Tinubu had, at the Federal Executive Council meeting of December 10, 2025, directed the settlement of verified contractor liabilities estimated at about N1.5 trillion, while the National Assembly had approved borrowing exceeding N1 trillion for the same purpose.
He, however, expressed concern that delays in releasing funds continued to slow down project implementation nationwide.
The lawmaker also criticised a Federal Treasury Circular issued on June 29, 2026, by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, which requires a Certificate of Verification and Compliance before payments can be made for Zonal Intervention and Constituency Projects.
He warned that while accountability measures were necessary, additional administrative requirements could create further delays in implementing approved projects.
Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Budget Office of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria to prioritise the timely release and cash-backing of appropriated funds.
Lawmakers also called for the publication of a clear release schedule for the 2026 fiscal year and the conclusion of verification and settlement of outstanding contractor liabilities within a specific timeframe.
The House further directed that the June 29 Treasury Circular be reviewed to ensure that compliance measures do not obstruct the execution of projects already approved through the national budget.
It also resolved to establish an ad hoc committee, to be chaired by the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, to engage relevant fiscal authorities on budget releases, contractor liabilities and the utilisation of approved borrowings.
The committee is expected to report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.