The Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has disclosed that the 2025 budget for State House agencies will be determined through a rigorous needs assessment process. Gbajabiamila revealed this on Wednesday during a media briefing in Abuja, following a one-day fact-finding tour of several government agencies under the State House’s purview.
GbajabiamilaGbajabiamila emphasized that the decision to adopt a needs-based budgeting approach was driven by the necessity to align funding with the actual requirements of the agencies. This strategy, he noted, is essential in ensuring that scarce resources are allocated efficiently.
“In any country in the world, resources are limited. For us, it is about prioritizing,” Gbajabiamila stated. “Where are we so far? What have the agencies done? How have they measured up to their mandates and how important are their mandates in terms of the vision of this administration and the Renewed Hope Agenda?”
Highlighting the challenges faced by numerous government bodies, the Chief of Staff pointed out that many agencies are currently underfunded, which raises critical questions about their viability and relevance.
“A lot of agencies are not properly funded. Do we merge some of these agencies, or do we scrap some? I’m not talking about the State House agencies,” he clarified. “In 2025, we are not going to budget in a vacuum. We will budget based on needs assessment.”
Gbajabiamila’s comments underscore the administration’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and strategic resource allocation, in line with its broader agenda of governance reform and the Renewed Hope Agenda. As the 2025 budget planning process unfolds, the focus will be on ensuring that each agency’s budget reflects its actual needs and contributions to the administration’s goals.
This shift in budgetary approach marks a significant step towards more accountable and transparent governance, as the Tinubu administration seeks to optimize the performance of government agencies while addressing the country’s fiscal challenges.
