BREAKING: “We’re not planning to run four budgets in 2024”

Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, has refuted claims that the Federal Government (FG) plans to implement four budgets within the 2024 fiscal year.

Ajayi addressed these rumours following a statement from civic organization BudgITng, which raised concerns about a potential 2024 supplementary budget.

Ajayi clarified that the National Assembly has only approved the extension of the implementation period for the capital components of the 2023 budget and its supplementary budget to December 2024.

In a post on X, he wrote: ”Yesterday, BudgITng raised a false alarm on the basis of rumours that FG is planning a 2024 supplementary budget. It is important to state that the FG is not planning to run 4 budgets within a fiscal year as being alleged.

”The National Assembly only approved that implementation of the capital components of the 2023 budget and 2023 supplementary should be extended to December 2024 to achieve its objectives.

”Our country can’t achieve sustainable development when Federal, States and Local governments focus on only consumptive expenditures which is essentially what recurrent expenditures represent.

”It is the capital expenditures that drive economic growth, strengthen private-sector output and create employment opportunities for citizens. As a reputable civic organisation, BudgIT can not afford to be flippant and be unduly sensational.”