2025 Budget: SDP stalwart, HURIWA accuse lawmakers of fiscal irresponsibility

The duo of Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) former presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayor, and Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, have questioned the motives behind the sudden surge in the 2025 Appropriation Bill.

Criticisms have continued to trail the passage of the record-breaking N54.99 trillion 2025 budget by the National Assembly, as critics hinted that potential political motives ahead of the 2027 elections may have necessitated the approval.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu raised the budget from N49.7 trillion to N54.2 trillion to meet the additional fiscal needs of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). However, during its passage yesterday, the National Assembly further increased the amount to N54.99 trillion.

In his reaction, Adebayor accused the lawmakers of misplaced priorities and fiscal irresponsibility, describing the financial package as poorly designed and economically dangerous.

He questioned the insufficient investment in infrastructure and economic stability as evidence of the administration’s misplaced priorities and cautioned that Nigerians should brace for a worsening financial crisis marked by higher inflation, severe forex instability, ballooning debt, and rising poverty levels.

The SDP chieftain urged Nigerians to view the financial mismanagement as a wake-up call, expressing doubts about the current administration’s ability to implement necessary corrections.

“The people should prepare to replace this government. The correction will have to come from the next administration,” he added. “Increasing the overall budget does not improve its structure. It doesn’t account for the country’s actual revenue, doesn’t meet the minimum benchmarks of previous years, and worsens our debt situation.”

In his words, HURIWA National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, tasked the lawmakers to shed more light on the reasons behind the sudden adjustment of the 2025 Appropriation Bill. He described the sudden increase in the budget as a ploy by lawmakers to divert funds and line their pockets with taxpayers’ money needed to run the 2027 election.

“The only way Nigerians can interpret this is that some individuals in government might be diverting funds to prepare for upcoming elections, which are less than two years away,” he said, alleging that the ruling party may be using the inflated budget to incentivize defections and fund campaign activities.