The Senate has scheduled March 17, 2026, for the final review and approval of the N58.472 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill, rolling out a fast-tracked plan to complete deliberations on the budget proposal.
This decision was reached during a special meeting of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, where members also mapped out February 2 to 13 for detailed examination of the budget by various committees.
To promote transparency and public participation, a public hearing on the proposed budget has been slated for February 9, 2026. The committee chairman, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West), announced that respected economist and University of Lagos professor, Wasiu Adeoye, will deliver a PowerPoint presentation during the session.
The committee also fixed March 5, 2026, for an engagement between its members and top federal economic officials. Those expected at the session include the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, as well as the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu.
According to Senator Adeola, standing committees are expected to submit their budget defence reports between February 16 and 23, ahead of the Appropriations Committee’s final report presentation to the Senate on March 17.
He explained that although Senate leaders initially targeted March 12 for passage of the budget, he negotiated an extra week to allow lawmakers more time for thorough evaluation of the figures.
Adeola added that printed copies of the 2026 budget proposal have already been produced and shared with committee chairmen and members to support detailed review. The schedule was later approved after a motion by Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), seconded by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North).
