By Abbanobi -Eku Onyeka
Abuja
The Senate Committee on Appropriations, led by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, has kicked off a public hearing on the 2026 Appropriation Bill, with a focus on translating budget allocations into tangible outcomes. The hearing, themed ‘From Budget to Impact’, aims to ensure the budget delivers on its promises of consolidation, renewed resilience, and shared prosperity.
Senator Adeola in his welcome address commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s courageous reforms, noting significant gains in macroeconomic stability, including a decline in inflation to 15% and stabilized exchange rates. The 2026 Budget prioritizes defense, infrastructure, education, and healthcare, with allocations of ₦5.41 trillion, ₦3.56 trillion, ₦3.52 trillion, and ₦2.48 trillion, respectively.
The committee emphasized fiscal discipline, tax reforms, and effective implementation to achieve measurable impact. Senator Adeola warned Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to justify their budget proposals, threatening reallocation of funds to priority projects.
The 2026 Budget projects aggregate revenue of ₦33.19 trillion and aggregate expenditure of ₦58.47 trillion, resulting in a budget deficit of ₦25.27 trillion. The committee will scrutinize the budget, prioritizing transparency, accountability, and value for every expenditure.
Guest lecturer Professor Babatunde Wasiu Adeoye will discuss strengthening macroeconomic stability, accelerating infrastructure delivery, and improving security through fiscal discipline and tax reform.
In the absence of Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Barau I. Jibrin however represented him. Delivering Akpabio’s speech, Jibrin emphasized the need for fiscal discipline, tax reforms, and effective implementation to translate budget allocations into tangible outcomes.
The hearing, themed ‘From Budget to Impact’, aimed to address Nigeria’s fiscal pressures, inflation, infrastructure gaps, and security challenges. Akpabio’s speech urged stakeholders to engage in robust, honest, and solution-driven participation, stressing that budgeting is a democratic process done with the people, not just for them..
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