Tinubu seeks N5.41tn for security, presents N58.18tn budget to NASS 

President Bola Tinubu on Friday laid before the National Assembly a N58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill, proposing a N5.41 trillion allocation for defence and security, the biggest share of the budget and a continuation of the administration’s security-first spending posture.

The allocation makes security the top-funded sector for the third year running since the Tinubu administration began presenting national budgets in November 2023, reflecting ongoing efforts to confront terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes across the country.

Presenting the budget to a joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives, Tinubu said safeguarding lives and property remained central to economic recovery and social stability.

“Security remains the foundation of development,” the President told lawmakers, noting that investment, productivity and growth would remain elusive without peace.

Under the proposal, the N5.41 trillion security vote will surpass allocations to infrastructure, education and health, mirroring trends in the 2024 and 2025 budgets where defence and security dominated sectoral spending.

Tinubu said the funds would be channelled towards modernising the armed forces, boosting intelligence-driven policing, strengthening border control and enhancing inter-agency collaboration among security outfits.

“We will invest in security with strict accountability because security spending must translate into measurable security outcomes,” he said.

The budget presentation followed the approval of the 2026 framework by the Federal Executive Council earlier in the day at an emergency meeting chaired, for the first time, by Vice President Kashim Shettima. The council set total expenditure at N58.47 trillion amid rising obligations from debt servicing, personnel costs and security operations.

As part of broader reforms, Tinubu announced a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s national security architecture, including the introduction of a new counter-terrorism doctrine focused on unified command, intelligence coordination and community-based stability.

He further declared that all armed groups operating outside state authority – such as bandits, militias, kidnappers, armed gangs and violent cult groups – would be formally designated as terrorists, alongside their financiers, informants and enablers.

The President said the reclassification was intended to eliminate legal loopholes and strengthen the state’s capacity to dismantle violent networks.

Outside the security sector, the 2026 budget proposes N3.56 trillion for infrastructure, N3.52 trillion for education and N2.48 trillion for health.

While acknowledging fiscal constraints, Tinubu defended the heavy security allocation as a necessary investment.

“Without security, investment cannot flourish. Without education and health, productivity will stall. Without infrastructure, growth cannot be sustained,” he said.

The President appealed to lawmakers to support the proposal, describing the 2026 budget as a critical tool for consolidating economic reforms and restoring citizens’ confidence in the state’s ability to guarantee safety and stability.