‘Follow the Law or No Payment’, FG Tells MDAs
By Patience Ikpeme
The Federal Government has warned all its Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) that they must follow the Public Procurement Act strictly when spending money on projects under the 2025 and 2026 budgets. The government made it clear that any attempt to bypass the proper rules for projects will not be allowed.
In a statement released on Thursday by Bawa Mokwa, the spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, gave this order during a meeting with government officials in Abuja. She said that every payment for big projects must follow the law and that no project should even start if the money to finish it is not already available.
“All capital payments must strictly comply with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act and no project should begin unless funds are available,” the Minister said. She warned that the government will not process any payments that are made outside the official rules.
Dr. Uzoka-Anite also told contractors and government offices not to worry about money, as the country has enough funds to pay for genuine work. She urged the agencies to double-check their paperwork so that their payments can be settled quickly without any unnecessary delays.
At the same meeting, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr. Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, told the officials that the GIFMIS computer system used for government payments is now fully fixed and working again. He explained that following the order of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 30 percent of the 2025 budget will be spent between now and November 31, 2026. The rest of the money, which is 70 percent, has been moved into the 2026 budget to ensure that work continues smoothly.
Dr. Ogunjimi noted that the government has already given the agencies the go-ahead to spend, and the Treasury will start releasing the first part of the 2025 budget by the end of next week.
On his part, the Director of Funds, Mr. Steve Ehikhamenor, warned the agencies to be careful with how they handle public money. He told them to avoid spending more than what was approved for them and to stick only to the projects listed in their budgets. He also gave a strict instruction that any money not used for a project must be returned to the government treasury immediately.
This new move is part of the government’s plan to make sure there is discipline in how public money is used and to ensure that every project built with taxpayers’ money truly benefits Nigerians.
