Senate intensifies scrutiny of President Tinubu’s ₦58.47 trillion 2026 budget ahead of March passage.
Senate has scheduled a high-level engagement with Nigeria’s economic managers as it intensifies scrutiny of President Bola Tinubu’s ₦58.47 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill, setting March 17, 2026, as the tentative date for its final consideration and passage.
The decision was reached on Friday during a special session of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, where lawmakers approved a detailed timetable covering budget defence sessions, public participation, and final legislative action.
The development comes four days after Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele announced that deliberations on the 2026 budget proposal would dominate plenary proceedings when the National Assembly resumes, alongside proposed amendments to Nigeria’s electoral laws.
Under the approved schedule, Senate standing committees will examine budget estimates from February 2 to February 13, 2026.
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A public hearing on the budget has been fixed for Monday, February 9, as part of efforts to open the appropriation process to wider stakeholder input.
Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West), said the hearing would feature a technical presentation by a University of Lagos economics professor, Wasiu Adeoye, to guide lawmakers during deliberations.
A key component of the Senate’s oversight process is an interactive session scheduled for March 5, 2026, during which senior members of the federal government’s economic team are expected to appear before the committee.
Those expected include the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu.
Senator Adeola further disclosed that reports from budget defence sessions conducted by standing committees will be submitted between February 16 and 23, ahead of the committee’s final report to the Senate.
He added that although Senate leadership initially proposed March 12, 2026, for passage of the budget, an additional week was approved to allow for more thorough scrutiny of the estimates.
To aid lawmakers, hard copies of the 2026 budget have been printed and distributed to members and chairpersons of the standing committees.
The timetable was formally adopted following a motion moved by Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) and seconded by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North).
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