The Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives has expressed displeasure over the non-release of capital funds allocated to the Federal Ministry of Interior, describing the development as a major setback to project execution and institutional performance.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, alongside other members of the joint Committee, raised concerns during a budget defence session in Abuja, lamenting that the 2024 and 2025 capital budgets of the ministry had not been released.
The Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, while briefing lawmakers on Tuesday, disclosed that the ministry recorded zero percent capital budget release for two consecutive years.
According to him, no capital allocation approved for the ministry in the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years had been released, a situation he said had severely hampered project implementation and stalled critical infrastructure development under the ministry.
The former lawmaker explained that performance on capital projects during the period under review stood at zero percent, solely due to the non-release of funds.
Mr. Tunji-Ojo noted that the ministry had plans to execute several key projects across its agencies, but the absence of capital releases made implementation impossible despite budgetary approvals by the National Assembly.
Despite the funding challenges, the minister assured the lawmakers that the ministry had remained financially disciplined, consistently remitting its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation as required by law.
Members of the joint committee expressed frustration over what they described as a recurring delay in the release of budgeted funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), warning that such bottlenecks undermine the effectiveness of government institutions.
The lawmakers emphasised that the National Assembly performs its constitutional duty by approving budgets and expects the executive arm to ensure timely releases for implementation.
They, however, advised officials of the ministry to prioritise projects in line with available approvals and strategic importance, to prevent cases of abandoned projects across various parts of the country.
Agencies under the Federal Ministry of Interior that appeared for the budget defence include the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Federal Fire Service.
The development has further heightened concerns over budget implementation gaps within the federal system and the implications for service delivery in critical security and internal administration institutions.