The Senate has fixed Tuesday, March 17, 2026, for the final consideration and passage of the ₦58.47 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill.
The target date was announced by the Senate Committee on Appropriations at a special session held on Friday, as lawmakers rolled out a detailed timetable to fast-track scrutiny of the budget proposal.
To meet the deadline, the committee approved February 2 to 13 for budget defence sessions by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at the committee level.
In a move aimed at transparency and public participation, the Senate has also scheduled Monday, February 9, 2026, for a public hearing on the budget.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier presented the ₦58.47 trillion budget to a joint session of the National Assembly, outlining key priorities centred on economic stability, infrastructure development, security, and social investment. The Senate subsequently passed the bill for first and second readings.
Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Ogun West), said the public hearing would feature a technical presentation by Professor Wasiu Adeoye, an economist from the University of Lagos, to provide expert analysis of the budget’s fiscal framework.
Adeola also disclosed that Thursday, March 5, has been set aside for an interactive session between the committee and key economic managers of the Federal Government, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu.
According to him, February 16 to 23, 2026, has been earmarked for the submission of reports on budget defence by the various standing committees, ahead of the presentation of the Appropriations Committee’s final report to the Senate on March 17.
He noted that Senate leadership initially proposed March 12 for passage of the budget but approved an additional week to allow for more detailed scrutiny.
“For meticulous consideration of the estimates, hard copies of the 2026 budget have been printed and distributed to chairmen and members of the standing committees,” Adeola said.
The timetable was adopted following a motion moved by Senator Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi Central) and seconded by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North).
