…MDAs to appear for budget defence Feb. 2 to 13
The Senate, through its Committee on Appropriations, has tentatively fixed Tuesday, March 17, for the final consideration and passage of the N58.47 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill.
To meet the deadline, the committee, at a special session held on Friday, approved February 2 to 13, for budget defence by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at the committee level.
As part of efforts to ensure an inclusive and transparent process, the committee also scheduled Monday, February 9, 2026, for a public hearing on the budget proposal.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier presented the N58.47 trillion 2026 budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly, outlining government priorities anchored on economic stability, infrastructure expansion, security, and social investment.
The Senate, thereafter, passed the appropriation bill for the first and second reading.
Senator Adeola Solomon (APC, Ogun West), the Chairman of the committee, at the committee meeting on Friday said the public hearing would feature a PowerPoint presentation by Professor Wasiu Adeoye, an economist from the University of Lagos, to provide technical insights into the fiscal framework of the budget.
Adeola further disclosed that Thursday, March 5, “has been set aside for an interactive session between the committee and key economic managers of the Federal Government, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, among others.”
He added that, “February 16 to 23, 2026, has been fixed for the submission of reports on budget defence by the various standing committees, ahead of the final presentation of the Appropriations Committee’s report to the Senate on March 17.”
According to Adeola, Senate leadership had initially pushed for the budget to be passed by March 12, 2026, but an additional week was approved to allow for more thorough scrutiny.
“For meticulous consideration of the estimates, hard copies of the 2026 budget have been printed and distributed to chairmen and members of the various standing committees,” he said.
The committee subsequently adopted the timetable following a motion moved by Senator Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi Central) and seconded by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North).
