The Nigerian Senate has assured President Bola Tinubu of its readiness to work closely with the Executive to ensure the timely passage and effective implementation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
The assurance was given by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, during the public hearing and interactive session on the 2026 Appropriation Bill organised by the Senate Committee on Appropriations at the National Assembly, Abuja, on Monday.
Senator Akpabio, who was represented at the event by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, said the legislature remained committed to its constitutional responsibilities of oversight, accountability and legislative support aimed at stabilising the economy and improving the welfare of Nigerians.
He said, “The Senate remains fully committed to its constitutional responsibility of oversight, accountability, and legislative support for policies that stabilise the economy, unlock productivity, and improve the security and welfare of our people.
“We will continue to work with the Executive and all stakeholders to ensure that the 2026 Budget is not only passed on time, but implemented with fidelity and measurable results.”
In a speech titled From Budget to Impact, Senator Akpabio described budget hearings as a critical democratic process rather than a routine legislative exercise.
He said that Nigeria was at a critical juncture, grappling with inflationary pressures, infrastructure deficits, unemployment concerns and lingering security challenges, which, according to him, directly affect the daily lives of citizens.
“Budget hearings are not mere rituals of governance. They are moments of national self-examination. There are occasions when a nation pauses to ask itself hard questions: Where are we? Where are we going? And are our resources aligned with our aspirations?
“Nigeria today stands at a decisive crossroads. We confront fiscal pressure, inflationary strain, gaps in infrastructure, anxieties of employment, and security challenges that weigh heavily upon the confidence and livelihoods of our people.
“These are not abstractions. They are not theoretical projections. They are the daily realities felt in homes, markets, farms, factories, and streets across our land,” he noted.
Despite the challenges, the Senate President expressed optimism, urging Nigerians and policymakers not to surrender to despair.
Senator Akpabio stressed the need for a shift from traditional spending patterns to more efficient and impactful fiscal management, invoking the words of renowned economist John Maynard Keynes.
“Yet let us be clear: adversity is not the herald of defeat. More often, it is the trumpet call of resilience and transition. For the eagle does not flee from the storm; it rises upon it.”
“As the economist John Maynard Keynes once observed, ‘The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.’ Our task, therefore, is not simply to spend more, but to spend better; not merely to allocate funds, but to convert budgets into outcomes and appropriations into impact.”
“Fiscal discipline, tax reforms, macroeconomic stability, infrastructure delivery, and effective implementation are not isolated objectives. They are interlinked pillars of national recovery and growth,” he noted.
The Senate President also commended the Senate Committee on Appropriations for opening the budget process to public scrutiny, describing it as a demonstration of democratic accountability.
He also urged stakeholders, experts and citizens participating in the hearing to engage constructively.
“By opening this process to public scrutiny and expert engagement, the Committee affirms a core democratic principle: that budgeting in a democracy is not done for the people alone, but with the people.
“Your insights, critiques, and recommendations are not interruptions to governance; they are its oxygen. Engage not as spectators, but as partners in national progress,” Akpabio stressed.
Senator Akpabio concluded by describing the budget as a moral and value-driven document that reflects a nation’s priorities.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, emphasised on the need for the Ministers, Departments and Agencies to appear before their respective Committees to defend their budget proposals.
“Everything that we need for proper oversighting of this budget, of our budget of judicious application of our revenue, once apply, I think is contained in that Act and I want all MDAs to know that we on this side of the diverse, we give that teeth to bite to the Fiscal Responsibility Commission going forward.
This 2026 Budget will be the turnaround, is not going to be business as usual. We appropriated the service-wise vote, within our confidence to ask how that money has been applied, so once pass into law, every item, from one to zero, we have all power to ask questions regarding how this fund has been utilised” he said.
The public hearing and interactive session also featured a technical presentation by Professor Wasiu Adeoye of the University of Lagos on the budget’s fiscal framework.
The Standing committees of the Senate will now begin reviewing the budget estimates with the Ministries, Departments, and the Agencies.
The Appropriations Committee is also setto meet with key economic managers, including Finance Minister Mr Wale Edun and Budget Minister, Atiku Bagudu on March 5, 2026.
The Senate has tentatively fixed March 17, 2026, for the final passage of the 2026 Budget.