RismadarVoice Reporters
January 30, 2026
The Senate has scheduled a high-level engagement with Nigeria’s economic managers as part of intensified scrutiny of President Bola Tinubu’s ₦58.47 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill, with March 17, 2026, set as the tentative date for its final consideration and passage.
The decision was reached on Friday during a special session of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, where lawmakers approved a detailed timetable outlining budget defence sessions, public hearings and final legislative action.
The development comes four days after the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, announced that rigorous examination of the 2026 budget proposal would dominate plenary activities when the National Assembly resumes, alongside proposed far-reaching amendments to Nigeria’s electoral laws.
According to the approved schedule, Senate standing committees will begin consideration of the budget estimates from February 2 to February 13, 2026.
A public hearing on the Appropriation Bill has also been slated for Monday, February 9, in a move aimed at deepening transparency and stakeholder participation in the budgetary process.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West), said the public hearing would feature a technical presentation by a University of Lagos economics Professor, Wasiu Adeoye, to provide expert insights to guide lawmakers’ deliberations.
As part of its oversight responsibilities, the committee has scheduled an interactive session for March 5, 2026, during which key members of the Federal Government’s economic team are expected to appear before senators.
Those billed for the engagement include the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu.
Adeola further disclosed that reports from the budget defence sessions conducted by the various standing committees are expected to be submitted between February 16 and February 23, ahead of the presentation of the Appropriations Committee’s final report to the full Senate.
He noted that while Senate leadership initially proposed March 12, 2026, for the passage of the budget, an additional week was granted to allow for more thorough scrutiny of the estimates.
To aid the review process, Adeola said hard copies of the 2026 Appropriation Bill had been printed, distributed to chairmen and members of the Senate’s standing committees.
