The senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the proposed ₦58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill produces tangible benefits for ordinary Nigerians.
Responding to the President’s budget presentation at the joint sitting of the National Assembly on Friday, Akpoti-Uduaghan described the occasion as important but cautioned against focusing solely on the size of the budget rather than its outcomes.
She warned that large fiscal figures alone cannot address Nigeria’s long-standing development problems.
“Out of all the lengthy speeches, one statement by Mr President resonated strongly with me,” she said.
“It is not the size of the budget that matters, but the level of impact Nigerians actually feel.”
The lawmaker noted that while the proposed ₦58.18 trillion spending plan reflects the country’s economic ambitions and structural challenges, citizens are more concerned about how government expenditure translates into real improvements in their daily lives.
According to her, Nigerians expect budgets to raise living standards through sustainable job creation, reliable infrastructure, affordable healthcare, quality education and accessible social services, rather than remain impressive figures on paper.
She also stressed that accountability is a shared responsibility between leaders and citizens, adding that sustained public scrutiny is vital to achieving meaningful results.
“Leaders must perform better, and citizens must insist on accountability,” she said.
A member of the Senate Committee on Finance, Akpoti-Uduaghan has consistently pushed for fiscal transparency, prudent use of public funds and people-focused budgeting. Her stance aligns with growing public demands for governance outcomes that are not just measurable, but visible at the grassroots.
Her comments reflect broader concerns within and outside the National Assembly that Nigeria’s budgets, despite increasing in size, have not delivered proportional gains in welfare, productivity and social stability.
President Tinubu on Friday presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, projecting gradual economic improvement while pledging stricter budget discipline and stronger revenue enforcement across government agencies.
He also vowed to take a firm security stance, declaring that all armed non-state actors would be treated as terrorists under his administration’s security framework.
Unveiling the proposal, titled “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity,” Tinubu said the fiscal plan was designed to consolidate recent macroeconomic gains, restore investor confidence and convert stability into inclusive growth.
The President defended his administration’s economic reforms, stating that they were beginning to yield positive results. He cited 3.98 per cent economic growth in the third quarter of 2025, eight straight months of easing inflation, improved oil production, stronger non-oil revenue and renewed investor confidence as signs of progress.
However, as deliberations on the budget commence in the National Assembly, lawmakers such as Akpoti-Uduaghan insist that the true measure of the 2026 budget will not rest on macroeconomic statistics alone, but on its real impact on Nigerian households and communities.
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