HOW TAMINU YAKUBU IS DRIVING BUDGET INNOVATION IN NIGERIA

By Andrew Oche

The Budget Office of the Federation, an agency within the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, traces its origins to 1921 when it was established as the Bureau of the Budget (BOB) within the Treasury Department. Since its inception, it has played a critical role of varying significance in Nigeria’s governance and economic planning.

Over the years, the Budget Office has undergone progressive transformation, evolving through innovative reforms, restructuring initiatives, and strategic collaborations at both national and subnational levels. The agency has adapted through institutional and stakeholder engagements, focusing on developing and implementing the federal budget, overseeing budget allocations across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), and managing government-wide initiatives to improve the welfare of citizens.

These transformative changes reflect the Federal Government of Nigeria’s commitment to refining the budgetary process, enhancing presidential influence, advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda, and fostering efficiency, integrity, and effectiveness in government operations. Historically, a series of reforms has progressively shifted the agency away from colonial practices toward a more formalised and dynamic system.

Today, a robust model of synergy and collaboration exists, characterised by shared values and an inclusive budgetary process that involves both the legislative and administrative arms of government.This wave of innovation has gained momentum since Alhaji Taminu Yakubu Kurfi assumed the role of Director-General of the Budget Office. A former Commissioner of Finance, Budget, and Economic Planning in Katsina State from 1999 to 2002, and Chief Economic Adviser to President Umaru Yar’Adua, Alhaji Yakubu has proven his competence and justified the confidence placed in him by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through his initiation of landmark reforms.

One of his key initiatives has been to strengthen the National Assembly’s role in the appropriation process while enhancing coordination for effective oversight, resulting in a dynamic, people-oriented annual budget. His commitment to accountability has transformed the Budget Office from a primarily execution-focused agency to one that emphasises monitoring and supervision. This ensures that approved and released funds are utilised for their intended projects, programs, and interventions without misappropriation, misapplication, or misallocation.

Alhaji Yakubu has also elevated the Budget Office’s role in sustaining development and ensuring the timely preparation of the annual budget, aligning it with specific fiscal objectives. Budget presentations are no longer ceremonial events but platforms for practical, sustainable, and verifiable analyses of macroeconomic indices, growth projections, and development factors. This approach facilitates effective monitoring and control of economic planning, making state infrastructure planning and implementation more feasible.

Under his leadership, the Budget Office has sustained the preparation of Development Plans and the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework while actively monitoring capital projects to eliminate the issue of abandoned federal projects. Through his influence, transparency, and resolute lobbying prowess, Alhaji Yakubu has attracted reliable development partners and ensured effective monitoring of fund disbursement and application.

Alhaji Yakubu has established a robust process for state infrastructure planning and has positively impacted the implementation of developmental plans at both national and subnational levels. His steadfast integrity and sincerity have led to the development of an uncompromising monitoring framework for capital projects and the timely preparation of appraisal documents. This has accelerated progress and ensured structural compliance in all ongoing federal projects.

His integrity, accountability, and transparency have fostered confidence, dependability, and trust among development partners, enhancing their willingness to engage and invest in Nigeria. Alhaji Yakubu’s devotion has brought consistency and sanity to the budgetary process, improving fiscal policy implementation and strengthening the management of initiatives under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

An unassuming and patriotic statesman, Alhaji Yakubu personally monitors capital projects to verify their progress, contributing to the successes recorded across various sectors of the economy. His holistic reforms include workforce motivation, recognising staff as vital stakeholders in growth. To this end, he introduced a mixed-skill arrangement that enhances the capacity of existing staff by integrating inter-agency professionals, ensuring timely remuneration and fostering a proficient, engaged workforce.

Acknowledging the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Alhaji Yakubu has leveraged modern, state-of-the-art digital tools to optimise service delivery. This has created a highly productive and committed workforce capable of supporting the goals and vision of President Tinubu’s drive for a prosperous Nigeria.

Alhaji Yakubu has also fostered a conducive work environment, enhanced staff capacity, and provided necessary tools, including official and private vehicles for efficient project monitoring and evaluation. As a highly intellectual and cerebral administrator, he has identified cost-saving strategies for budget analysis and devised methods to improve forecasting and variance analysis, achieving nearly 90% accuracy in predicting revenue and expenditure trends. This robust forecasting model accounts for seasonal fluctuations, resulting in improved outcomes.

The adoption of cross-functional teams has aligned the annual national budget with the goals of government MDAs, fostering collaboration, synergy, and peer review across different arms and tiers of government. Alhaji Yakubu has enriched the budget process by incorporating strategic planning, compliance indicators, and meticulous tracking of disbursed funds and project implementation. His engagement with critical stakeholders, partners, and investors at both national and subnational levels has built confidence and facilitated seamless implementation, efficiency, and effectiveness.

As an astute administrator, Alhaji Yakubu’s commitment to structural and systemic reforms is yielding results, transforming the operations of Permanent Secretaries and introducing efficiency across MDAs.His pragmatic approach has enabled Nigeria to operate a triple budget instrument—the 2024 Main Appropriation Act, the 2024 Supplementary Budget, and the 2025 Appropriation Act—seamlessly. Notably, Alhaji Yakubu ensured that the 2025 Appropriation Act was prepared and signed before the end of 2024, a remarkable achievement that underscores his commitment to fiscal discipline and timely budget implementation.

These reforms have contributed to economic recovery, increased gross domestic product, and enhanced fiscal efficiency. Innovations in the upstream sector have reduced production costs, increased crude oil output to 2.6 million barrels per day, and boosted profitability. Recognising the agricultural sector’s importance, Alhaji Yakubu has prioritised timely fund releases for agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, agrochemicals, and tractors, significantly enhancing food production, security, and availability. Alhaji Taminu Yakubu Kurfi has led an inspiring stabilisation of Nigeria’s economy, reduced inflation, and promoted economic growth within the framework of the Renewed Hope Agenda through the Budget Office. His leadership continues to drive transformative change, ensuring a prosperous future for Nigeria.

Oche writes from Makurdi.