By Iyoho Emmanuel
ABUJA- The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has raised the alarm over the failure of the Federal Government to commence the preparation of the 2027–2029 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), warning that the delay could undermine the timely presentation, consideration and implementation of the 2027 Appropriation Bill.
Lead Director of the CSJ, Eze Onyekpere, raised the concern in a speech delivered in Abuja and titled, “Where is MTEF 2027–2029?”, saying the delay was inconsistent with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), which provides a clear timeframe for the preparation and consideration of the MTEF as the foundation for the annual budget.
Onyekpere explained that the Fiscal Responsibility Act was designed to address some of the challenges associated with the constitutional provision that allows the President to present estimates of government revenue and expenditure to the National Assembly at any time.
According to him, the MTEF, which serves as the background document for the preparation of the annual budget, is expected to be prepared, approved by the Federal Executive Council and forwarded to the National Assembly before the end of the second quarter of the year.
He said the process envisaged by the law should enable the National Assembly to consider and approve the MTEF by the end of July, thereby allowing the Executive to commence and conclude the preparation of the annual budget early enough for its consideration and passage by lawmakers.
“Today, we are in August 2026. The procedure or the process for the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework has not even commenced. Nothing has started,” Onyekpere said.
He expressed concern that the delay could lead to another late presentation of the national budget, recalling that the 2026 budget was presented to the National Assembly on December 19, 2025.
The CSJ director warned that a repeat of such late budget presentation in the 2026/2027 cycle could have more serious consequences, particularly as political activities are expected to intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He urged the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation to urgently commence the preparation of the 2027 budget to ensure its early submission to the National Assembly.
Onyekpere stressed that members of the National Assembly would also be preoccupied with campaigns for their re-election as the 2027 general elections approach, making it imperative for the Executive to submit the budget early enough to give lawmakers sufficient time for thorough consideration and approval.
He said Nigeria could no longer afford the recurring cycle of late budget preparation, late presentation and delayed implementation, which, according to him, ultimately limits the impact of public expenditure on the lives of citizens.
“Better late than never. This is the time for them to start preparing the budget for 2027 to make sure it gets to the National Assembly members, who will also be on the field to campaign for their re-election, early enough to give them time to approve the budget before the end of the year,” he said.
The CSJ director called for a departure from the current practice, stressing that the budget process must be anchored on timely preparation, effective legislative scrutiny and prompt implementation to ensure that public resources deliver meaningful benefits to Nigerians.
“We must break this chain of continuous late budgets, late implementation, and little or no benefits to the Nigerian people. This is not the way to go. We need a change from what we are currently doing,” Onyekpere said.