The 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 taken on Friday at a special session of the
Senate Committee on Appropriations, where lawmakers approved a comprehensive
timetable for budget defence, public input and final legislative action.
The development comes barely four days after the Leader of
the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, pledged that scrutiny of the 2026 budget
proposal would dominate plenary proceedings when the National Assembly resumes,
alongside proposed far-reaching amendments to Nigeria’s electoral laws.
Under the approved schedule, standing committees of the
Senate will commence consideration of the budget estimates from February 2 to
13, 2026.
A public hearing on the proposal has also been fixed for
Monday, February 9, as part of efforts to open up the appropriation process to
broader stakeholder participation.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola
(Ogun West), said “The public hearing would feature a PowerPoint presentation
by a University of Lagos economics professor, Wasiu Adeoye, aimed at providing
technical insights to guide lawmakers during deliberations.”
Central to the Senate’s oversight plans is an interactive
session scheduled for March 5, 2026, during which key members of the federal
government’s economic team are expected to appear before the committee.
“Those to be engaged include the Minister of Finance and
Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and
National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu,” he said.
Adeola further informed committee members that reports from
budget defence sessions conducted by the various standing committees are to be
submitted between February 16 and 23, ahead of the Appropriations Committee’s
final report to the Senate.
He disclosed that the Senate leadership had initially
proposed March 12, 2026, for the passage of the budget, but added that an
additional week was secured to allow for more meticulous examination of the
estimates.
To support lawmakers in that process, hard copies of the
2026 budget have been printed and distributed to chairmen and members 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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