KEY POINTS

• Lawmakers say budget size means little without visible results.
• Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan urges people-focused spending.
• Tinubu points to growth and easing inflation as reform gains.

Nigeria’s proposed ₦58.18 trillion budget for 2026 has drawn fresh scrutiny from lawmakers, with calls for the government to focus less on headline numbers and more on how public spending affects daily life.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, said the size of the appropriation bill presented by President Bola Tinubu should not distract from a deeper question. She said Nigerians were more concerned about whether the budget would translate into visible improvements in jobs, services and living conditions.

Lawmakers question budget priorities

Speaking after Tinubu addressed a joint session of the National Assembly on Friday, Akpoti-Uduaghan described the presentation as notable but cautioned against celebrating scale alone. She said fiscal expansion, by itself, has not solved Nigeria’s long-running development challenges.

She pointed to a line from the president’s speech that she said captured public sentiment. According to her, Tinubu acknowledged that impact matters more than size. Akpoti-Uduaghan said this principle should guide how the 2026 spending plan is implemented.

She noted that the ₦58.18 trillion proposal reflects the scale of Nigeria’s ambitions and the depth of its economic problems. Still, she said citizens judge budgets by outcomes, not projections. She listed steady employment, working infrastructure, affordable healthcare, quality education and accessible social services as areas Nigerians expect to see progress.

The senator added that accountability remains central to delivering results. She said leaders must improve performance, while citizens must continue to demand transparency and results from those in office.

Accountability drives public expectations

As a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, Akpoti-Uduaghan has repeatedly argued for tighter fiscal oversight and people-focused budgeting. According to Punch, her comments echo broader concerns within the legislature that Nigeria’s budgets have grown larger without producing matching gains in welfare or productivity.

Tinubu, in presenting the 2026 Appropriation Bill, painted a picture of cautious economic improvement. He pledged stricter budget discipline and stronger revenue enforcement across government agencies. He also outlined a tougher security posture, saying armed non-state actors would be treated as terrorists under his administration.

The budget proposal, titled “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity,” aims to protect recent macroeconomic gains and rebuild investor confidence. Tinubu defended recent reforms, saying early results were beginning to show.

He cited economic growth of 3.98 percent in the third quarter of 2025, easing inflation over eight consecutive months, improved oil output, stronger non-oil revenue and returning investor interest as signs of progress.