President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday presented a historic ₦58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly, setting out the fiscal roadmap of the Federal Government amid heightened expectations for economic relief, improved service delivery, and measurable governance outcomes.
The President’s budget address, delivered before senators, members of the House of Representatives, principal officers of the legislature, and top government functionaries, underscored the administration’s priorities of economic stabilisation, growth stimulation, infrastructure development, and social welfare enhancement, against the backdrop of persistent inflationary pressures and fiscal constraints.
Reacting to the presentation, Senator Natasha Hadiza Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, described the budget session as significant but cautioned that Nigeria’s development challenges cannot be solved by figures alone.
“Of all the lengthy speeches, one line by Mr. President struck me deeply,” the Senator said.
“It’s not the size of the budget but the quanta of impact felt by Nigerians.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan noted that while the proposed ₦58.18 trillion budget reflects the magnitude of Nigeria’s challenges and national ambitions, ordinary citizens are far more concerned with how budgetary provisions translate into tangible improvements in their daily lives.
According to her, Nigerians expect budgets to result in better living standards, sustainable job creation, functional infrastructure, affordable healthcare, quality education, and accessible social services, rather than remain impressive figures on paper.
She further emphasised that accountability in governance is a shared responsibility, calling on both public office holders and the citizenry to play their respective roles.
“Leaders must do better, and citizens must demand accountability,” she stressed.
Policy analysts and observers at the National Assembly noted that the presentation of the 2026 budget marks the beginning of an intense phase of legislative scrutiny. In the coming weeks, lawmakers are expected to rigorously interrogate the proposal’s revenue assumptions, debt sustainability framework, sectoral allocations, and implementation strategies.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, has been a consistent advocate for fiscal transparency, prudent management of public resources, and people-centred budgeting. Her remarks resonated with growing public calls for governance outcomes that are not only measurable but also felt at the grassroots level across the country.
As debates on the 2026 Appropriation Bill commence, Nigerians will be watching closely to see whether the record-breaking budget will deliver meaningful and equitable impact across communities, validating the President’s assertion that the true value of a budget lies not in its size, but in its effect on the lives of the people.
