A civic accountability group, the Coalition for Equitable Development and Fiscal Justice (CEDFJ), has called on President Bola Tinubu to treat the implementation of the 2025 capital budget as a matter of national urgency, warning that bureaucratic delays could derail ongoing economic reforms and weaken public confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement made available to The Guardian on Monday signed by Dr Gbenga Akinbowale, the group’s president, and Gloria Maduegbuna, its national secretary, CEDFJ said Nigeria’s fiscal management system “has become the weakest link” in the administration’s economic reform framework, particularly under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance.

While commending President Tinubu’s efforts in removing fuel subsidies, liberalising the foreign exchange regime and promoting national planning reforms, the group argued that “slow execution, delayed capital releases and excessive bureaucracy” were undermining the impact of these policies.

“The President must now see the 2025 capital budget as a national emergency,” the statement said. “Each year, the same bureaucratic cycle repeats itself — funds are released late, projects stall midway, and inflation wipes out the value of appropriations. This must not continue under an administration that came to power promising a break from the past.”

CEDFJ said the current pace of fiscal performance “is not politically sustainable,” warning that persistent delays in capital project funding could blunt the President’s reform momentum as the next election cycle approaches.

“Every stalled road project, every uncompleted hospital or power installation is a reminder that citizens are still waiting for the Renewed Hope they were promised,” the statement added. “If these expectations remain unmet, no amount of political messaging will fill the gap left by poor delivery.”

The group cited its review of previous budgets, which showed that less than 70 per cent of capital allocations were utilised in most Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) between 2021 and 2024. It urged President Tinubu to take “personal charge” of budget execution and ensure that capital releases are monitored directly from the Presidency.

Dr Akinbowale called for a presidential monitoring mechanism to track capital expenditure quarterly and hold the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General accountable for timely disbursement.

“The credibility of the Renewed Hope Agenda depends not on how well the budget is written but on how faithfully it is implemented,” the group warned, adding that “If 2025 becomes another year of excuses, it will erode the very hope that brought this government to power.”