Senate Targets March 17 for Final Passage of 2026 Budget After Intensive Scrutiny

Jane Salihu

The Senate has mapped out a tight but inclusive timetable to conclude work on the 2026 Appropriation Bill, setting March 17, 2026, as the date for final consideration and passage after weeks of committee-level reviews, public engagement, and consultations with key economic managers.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations on Friday tentatively fixed Tuesday, March 17, 2026, for the passage of the ₦48.472 trillion 2026 budget. The decision was reached during a special session of the committee, as lawmakers moved to ensure detailed scrutiny of the spending proposal.

To meet the deadline, the committee scheduled February 2 to 13 for the consideration of budget estimates at the committee level across the Senate’s standing committees.

In a bid to promote transparency and stakeholder participation, a public hearing on the budget proposal has been slated for Monday, February 9, 2026. Chairman of the committee, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West), disclosed that Professor Wasiu Adeoye, an economics scholar from the University of Lagos, will deliver a PowerPoint presentation at the session.

Further strengthening the review process, the committee fixed Thursday, March 5, 2026, for an interactive session with key economic managers of the Federal Government.

Expected at the engagement are the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, among others.

Senator Adeola also announced that February 16 to 23, 2026, has been set aside for the submission of reports on budget defence by various committee chairmen. These reports will form the basis of the Appropriations Committee’s final presentation to the Senate on March 17.

He revealed that while Senate leadership initially preferred the budget to be passed by March 12, additional time was granted following his appeal to allow for more rigorous examination of the estimates.

To facilitate meticulous review, hard copies of the 2026 budget have been printed and distributed to chairmen and members of the Senate’s standing committees.

The timetable was formally adopted following a motion moved by Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) and seconded by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North).