President Bola Tinubu has pledged that 2026 will be a year of stricter discipline in the execution of Nigeria’s budget, stressing that all spending must align with approved appropriations and timelines.
In a directive issued to key government officials, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Director-General of the Budget Office, the President called for meticulous adherence to the 2026 Budget framework.
President Tinubu said the government expects improved revenue performance through new National Tax Acts and ongoing reforms in the oil and gas sector, reforms aimed not only at raising revenue but also enhancing transparency, efficiency, fairness, and long-term fiscal sustainability.
He also issued strict directives to heads of Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs), mandating that all agencies meet their assigned revenue targets.
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To support this, the government plans to deploy end-to-end digitisation of revenue mobilisation, including standardised e-collections, interoperable payment systems, automated reconciliation, data-driven risk profiling, and real-time performance dashboards.
These measures, the President said, will seal leakages, ensure compliance, and make remittances prompt.
Reflecting on 2025, the President noted that budget implementation faced transitional challenges.
He says by the third quarter, revenue stood at N18.6 trillion, 61 per cent of the target, while expenditure reached N24.66 trillion, about 60 per cent of the planned spending.
He says Only N3.10 trillion, representing 17.7 per cent of the 2025 capital budget, was released by Q3, as priority was given to completing carry-over capital projects from 2024.
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
