The National Assembly has extended the implementation deadline for the capital component of Nigeria’s 2025 budget from September 30 to December 31, 2026, giving Ministries, Departments and Agencies another three months to implement eligible projects.
The extension was approved by both chambers as lawmakers resumed plenary after their annual recess, with the Senate and House of Representatives considering amendments to the 2025 Appropriation Act.
The latest adjustment marks the fourth time the implementation period for the capital component of the 2025 budget has been extended since the original deadline expired.
The National Assembly had previously moved the deadline to March 31, 2026, then June 30 and subsequently September 30 before approving the latest extension to the end of December.
House Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere said the extension was necessary because economic pressures and other factors had slowed the implementation of capital projects captured in the 2025 appropriation.
He argued that giving the government additional time would allow ongoing projects to continue rather than having their implementation window expire before completion.
The Senate similarly approved the extension after Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele moved the amendment following an executive session and consideration by the Committee of Supply.
Bamidele said the additional period would provide an administrative window to complete critical projects for which funds had already been released and prevent advanced projects from being left unfinished.
The extension means federal agencies will be able to continue implementing the affected capital projects until December 31, subject to the completion of the legislative and presidential assent processes.
The development comes as the National Assembly begins consideration of other major executive proposals, including bills dealing with postgraduate medical education and national research funding.
President Bola Tinubu transmitted the National Postgraduate Medical College Amendment Bill, 2026, to the legislature for consideration.
The proposed legislation seeks to update the legal framework of the institution, including provisions that would expand its academic mandate to award PhD degrees in clinical medicine, dentistry and related disciplines.
The Federal Government has clarified that the proposed doctoral programmes are intended to complement the college’s existing professional fellowship programmes rather than replace them.
Another executive proposal before lawmakers is the National Research and Development Fund Establishment Bill, 2026, which seeks to create a central mechanism for financing research and development activities across the country.
The proposed fund would consolidate fragmented research financing currently spread across different Ministries, Departments and Agencies and introduce a competitive system for supporting research institutions and academic bodies.
The bill also seeks to encourage stronger collaboration among universities, research institutions and the private sector, with commercialisation of locally developed technologies identified as one of its objectives.
Under the proposal, the fund would operate under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology and receive direct funding from the Nigeria Content Development Fund.
The Presidency said the initiative was designed to address fragmentation in Nigeria’s research and development system and improve coordination, funding and the conversion of research outcomes into usable technologies.
The Senate was also informed that President Tinubu had assented to the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria Amendment Bill, 2026, effectively making the legislation law.
Meanwhile, the Senate received the 2026 statutory budget proposal of the Niger Delta Development Commission for consideration and referred it to the relevant committee.
The NDDC proposal is expected to support interventions in youth empowerment, energy and power, education, industrial and enterprise development, healthcare, security and agricultural productivity across the commission’s nine mandate states.
The Senate also received requests for confirmation of nominees to several federal institutions, including nominees for the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and a non-career ambassadorial appointment to The Gambia.
The latest legislative activity comes shortly after the National Assembly resumed from a recess that had lasted several weeks, with both chambers subsequently adjourning plenary until October 13.
The Senate is also scheduled to hold a security summit on October 12 and 13 before its next plenary sitting.
With the 2025 capital budget deadline now moved to December 31 and new legislation on medical education and research funding before lawmakers, the National Assembly is set to continue considering fiscal, institutional and development-related measures in the final months of 2026.