2026 Budget Anchored On Stability, Jobs, Poverty Reduction — Tinubu

Proposes ₦5.41trn for security, ₦3.52trn for education

President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, declared that the 2026 Federal Budget was firmly anchored on “macroeconomic stability, job-rich growth and poverty reduction,” as he presented the ₦58.18 trillion Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja.

Presenting the budget titled “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity”, Tinubu said it represented “a defining moment in our national journey of reform and transformation,” adding that while the reforms of the last two and a half years “have not been painless,” Nigerians’ sacrifices “are not in vain.”

“Today, I present a Budget that consolidates our gains, strengthens our resilience, and takes this country from out of the dark tunnel of hopelessness, from survival to growth,” the President told lawmakers, stressing that the budget was designed to ensure growth translates into “decent jobs, rising incomes, and a better quality of life for every Nigerian.”

Tinubu said the 2026 Budget was guided by four clear objectives: “to consolidate macroeconomic stability; improve the business and investment environment; promote job-rich growth and reduce poverty; and strengthen human capital development while protecting the vulnerable.” In his words, “we will spend with purpose, manage debt with discipline, and pursue broad-based, sustainable growth.”

He put total projected expenditure at ₦58.18 trillion, with expected revenue of ₦34.33 trillion, resulting in a deficit of ₦23.85 trillion, representing 4.28 per cent of GDP. Capital expenditure was pegged at ₦26.08 trillion, while recurrent non-debt spending stood at ₦15.25 trillion, alongside ₦15.52 trillion for debt servicing. “These numbers are not mere accounting lines. They are a statement of national priorities,” Tinubu said.

Outlining sectoral priorities, the President said ₦5.41 trillion was proposed for defence and security, ₦3.56 trillion for infrastructure, ₦3.52 trillion for education and ₦2.48 trillion for health, noting that “without security, investment will not thrive; without educated and healthy citizens, productivity will not rise; and without infrastructure, jobs and enterprises will not scale.”

On security, Tinubu announced a reset of Nigeria’s national security architecture and the establishment of “a new national counterterrorism doctrine — a holistic redesign anchored on unified command, intelligence gathering, community stability, and counter-insurgency.”

“Under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists,” the President declared. He added: “Bandits, militias, armed gangs, armed robbers, violent cults, forest-based armed groups and foreign-linked mercenaries will all be targeted.”

Tinubu further warned that the government would also pursue “all those who perpetrate violence for political or sectarian ends, along with those who finance and facilitate their evil schemes,” vowing that his administration would “show no mercy to those who commit or support acts of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping for ransom.”

On implementation, the President assured Nigerians that “2026 will be a year of stronger discipline in budget execution,” disclosing that he had directed key finance and budget officials to ensure strict adherence to appropriated details and timelines. “The most significant budget is not the one we announce,” he said. “It is the one we deliver.”