The Nigerian Senate has approved a N68.323 trillion budget for the 2026 fiscal year, raising the figure from the N58.47 trillion initially proposed by President Bola Tinubu.
The increase of over N9.09 trillion followed a fresh request by the President to accommodate legacy obligations, particularly in the transportation and health sectors, as well as additional funding provisions for the judiciary.
The approval came after the Senate adopted a joint report of the National Assembly on the 2026 Appropriation Bill during Tuesday’s plenary.
A breakdown of the revised budget shows that N4.799 trillion is earmarked for statutory transfers, N15.809 trillion for debt servicing, N15.427 trillion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, and N32.287 trillion allocated for capital projects.
Further details indicated that N5.71 trillion from the additional provisions would be used to regularise outstanding capital obligations carried over from the 2025 budget, while N2 trillion is set aside for previously omitted projects across the country.
Sectoral allocations include N482.758 billion for the health sector, N478.600 billion for the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, and N268 billion for the judiciary.
Of the judiciary allocation, N36 billion is designated for the Supreme Court and N98.513 million for the Court of Appeal.
In addition, the Senate approved N8.960 billion for feasibility studies on major road projects, including the Calabar–Maiduguri and Maiduguri–Sokoto corridors.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers also endorsed an extension of the capital component of the 2025 budget, shifting its implementation deadline from March 31 to June 30, 2026, to allow for the completion of ongoing projects.
The approval signals a significant expansion in government spending as the administration seeks to address infrastructure gaps and sustain economic development initiatives nationwide
