President Bola Tinubu on Friday presented the ₦58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly, proposing ₦5.41 trillion for defence and security—the largest single sectoral allocation in the budget.
Hobnob News reports that this marks the third consecutive year security has received top priority in the national budget since the administration began presenting fiscal plans in November 2023.
While addressing lawmakers, Tinubu stressed that national security remains the bedrock of economic growth, investment attraction, and social stability, noting that development cannot thrive in the absence of peace.
“Security remains the foundation of development,” the President said, adding that without stability, progress in other sectors would be severely constrained.
Under the proposal, the ₦5.41 trillion security allocation surpasses funding for infrastructure, education, and health, reflecting continued government focus on tackling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.
Earlier in the day, the Federal Executive Council approved the 2026 budget framework at an emergency meeting presided over for the first time by Vice President Kashim Shettima. Total projected expenditure was pegged at ₦58.47 trillion, driven largely by debt servicing, personnel costs, and security obligations.
Tinubu explained that the security vote would be used to modernise the armed forces, strengthen intelligence-led policing, enhance border surveillance, and support coordinated operations among security agencies.
“We will invest in security with clear accountability for outcomes because security spending must deliver security results,” he told lawmakers.
The President also announced a major overhaul of Nigeria’s national security architecture, including the introduction of a new counter-terrorism doctrine focused on unified command, intelligence coordination, and community stability.
As part of the reforms, Tinubu declared that all armed groups operating outside state authority—such as bandits, militias, kidnappers, armed gangs, and violent cult groups—would henceforth be legally classified as terrorists, alongside their financiers, informants, and enablers.
According to him, the move is aimed at closing legal and operational loopholes that have allowed violent groups to flourish.
Beyond security, the proposed 2026 budget allocates ₦3.56 trillion to infrastructure, ₦3.52 trillion to education, and ₦2.48 trillion to health.
Acknowledging the strain on public finances, Tinubu maintained that prioritising security was unavoidable.
“Without security, investment will not thrive. Without educated and healthy citizens, productivity will not rise. Without infrastructure, jobs and enterprise will not scale,” he said.
The President urged members of the National Assembly to support the budget proposal, describing it as a critical step toward consolidating economic gains and restoring public confidence in the government’s ability to protect lives and property.
