Senator Seriake Dickson, representing Bayelsa West, has said that the federal government under President Bola Tinubu was more preoccupied with political activities ahead of the 2027 elections than with governance, accusing the administration of neglecting 2024 capital budget implementation.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, Dickson said the government had been “grounded” and that ordinary Nigerians were yet to benefit from the capital component of the 2024 budget passed by the National Assembly.
“Government has grounded, that’s what it means,” he said. “Contractors who have done their jobs and committed their resources cannot be paid. The benefits of the budget that we all took time to work on and passed have not gotten to the people.”
He noted that while the recurrent component of the budget — which covers salaries and administrative expenses — has been fully disbursed, the capital allocation, which directly impacts development and public welfare, remained untouched.
“The component that has not been released, that is still stagnant, is the real one that goes to the people of Nigeria — for the development of our country. So, it’s a very sad situation,” Dickson said.
The Bayelsa West Senator also referenced reports of protests by frustrated contractors who completed government projects but remained unpaid.
“You recall that some weeks back, contractors, out of frustration and anger, I hear, even staged demonstrations. A number of you on this floor may be familiar with that,” he said.
Dickson made the remarks during a debate on a motion sponsored by Senator Solomon Adeola, representing Ogun West and chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, which sought to extend the implementation deadline for the capital component of the 2024 budget to December 31, 2025.
Although he supported the extension, Dickson questioned the rationale for the delay in budget execution.
“Unlike other motions and debates he (Adeola) has led, for which we have always supported — even from this aisle — the chairman today has not given compelling reasons why this extension has become necessary,” he said.
He suggested that political distractions, including preparations for the 2027 elections and the influx of defectors into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), may be diverting the government’s focus from its core responsibilities.
“Maybe there is too much preoccupation with politics and 2027,” Dickson said. “Maybe there is too much concentration on receiving defectors all across the country, and people are not looking at the big picture.”
He warned that both the executive and legislative arms were neglecting their constitutional duties.
“The business of the Nigerian people, for which we were all elected — all of us and the President of the Federal Republic — is not moving forward,” he said.
Dickson aligned with calls for an investigation into the delays, stressing that the issue was not about a lack of funds.
“All of us supported the withdrawal of fuel subsidies, meaning that there is even more money,” he said. “State governments and local governments are getting far more money — which is good. So, the availability of money is not the challenge.”
He urged the Senate to mandate it standing committees on appropriation and finance to conduct a joint inquiry and report back within a week.
“As a matter of fact, both committees, led by the appropriation committee and perhaps the finance committee as well, should jointly, within the next one week, undertake an inquiry and report back to us why this has happened. So that we don’t have this happening again,” the lawmaker stated.
