By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
The National Assembly has approved the 2025 budget performance of the AUDA-NEPAD Nigeria office but not without a forensic grilling that exposed discrepancies in fund utilisation claims and compliance gaps.
At a joint budget defence session of the Senate and House Committees on Cooperation and Integration in Africa/NEPAD, lawmakers endorsed the agency’s 2025 performance after hours of scrutiny.
The approval followed a motion duly moved and seconded, but the tone of engagement signalled heightened fiscal oversight.
Central to the tension was the agency’s declaration of “nil utilisation” against a reported 24 per cent capital release. Committee members challenged the claim, citing multiple line items that showed partial spending N15 million out of N50 million, N19 million out of N300 million, N22.5 million out of N75 million, and N60 million out of N200 million.
“These entries indicate clear utilisation,” one lawmaker argued, questioning how the agency reconciled the figures with its zero-utilisation position.
Responding, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD Nigeria, Hon. Jabiru Salisu Abdullahi Tsauri, explained that the 24 per cent referenced an administrative approval under a 30 per cent tranche understanding between the Executive and Legislature, but was not fully cash-backed for implementation.
According to him, the agency formally notified the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation over a six per cent shortfall and broader funding gaps that constrained execution.
Lawmakers, however, demanded more than verbal clarification.
The committee directed NEPAD to submit within 48 hours all documentary evidence, including correspondence and release instructions tied to the capital allocations.
The scrutiny extended to the agency’s 2026 budget proposal, where lawmakers flagged vague descriptions in several zonal intervention projects.
Some line items lacked specific locations and detailed cost breakdowns, raising red flags over traceability and accountability.
The committee instructed NEPAD to revise and resubmit clearer project descriptions to strengthen legislative oversight and ensure measurable impact.
Federal character compliance also came under the spotlight.
A review of the agency’s nominal roll suggested imbalances in staff representation.
While Tsauri maintained that postings were handled by the Office of the Head of Service, the Human Resources representative admitted that the agency was not fully compliant.
Lawmakers stressed that adherence to federal character principles is not discretionary, urging management to address the disparities in coordination with relevant authorities.
On the structural front, the committee signalled support for a proposed bill to grant NEPAD full commission status, an upgrade that would empower it to independently recruit and manage personnel. Lawmakers pledged to prioritise the bill once formally introduced.
Despite the reservations, the committee approved NEPAD’s 2026 budget proposal of N9.52 billion, comprising N328.6 million for personnel, N549.8 million for overheads, and N8.64 billion earmarked for capital projects.
However, lawmakers cautioned the agency against committing to projects without confirmed cash releases, underscoring the need for prudent financial planning in a constrained fiscal environment.
Speaking after the session, Tsauri described the approvals as validation of the accountability framework within government.
“This is an annual statutory process. We are accountable to Nigerians through the National Assembly. I am satisfied that our 2025 performance has been approved and that our 2026 proposal has also received endorsement,” he said.
He acknowledged systemic release delays across government institutions, noting that allocations without timely cash backing inevitably hamper implementation.
“It is widely known that budgets cannot be executed without releases. We faced constraints in 2024 and 2025 due to funding gaps,” he added.
Tsauri commended ongoing fiscal reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressing optimism that improved funding efficiency would enhance execution rates in subsequent cycles.
For lawmakers, however, the message was unequivocal: approval does not preclude accountability.
Documentation, transparency and compliance will define future engagements.
