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 brings real improvement to the daily lives of Nigerians rather than remaining large figures on paper.
She spoke after President Tinubu presented the budget proposal to a joint sitting of the National Assembly. Akpoti-Uduaghan said the budget discussion drew attention but warned that large numbers alone would not solve Nigeria’s long-standing problems. According to her, Nigerians are more concerned about how government spending will change their living conditions.
The lawmaker explained that citizens expect budgets to translate into jobs, better roads, affordable healthcare, quality education and access to basic social services. She noted that while the spending plan reflects the country’s economic goals and challenges, people want to feel its effects in their homes and communities.
Akpoti-Uduaghan also said governance requires effort from both leaders and the public. She stated that leaders must improve in service delivery, while citizens must actively demand openness and responsibility in the use of public funds.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, the senator has continued to push for careful use of resources, openness in government spending and budgets that focus on the needs of the people. Her position reflects wider concerns within and outside the National Assembly that yearly budgets have grown larger without matching improvements in welfare and social stability.
President Tinubu, while presenting the 2026 budget titled Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity, said the plan was built to strengthen recent economic gains, attract investors and turn stability into shared growth. He also promised stricter budget control, stronger revenue collection and a firm approach to security, stating that all armed non-state groups would be treated as terrorists.
The President defended his economic reforms, saying they were beginning to show results. He pointed to economic growth of 3.98 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, several months of slowing inflation, better oil production, rising non-oil revenue and renewed investor interest.
As lawmakers begin debates on the proposal, Akpoti-Uduaghan and others insist that the real test of the 2026 budget will be seen in how it improves the lives of Nigerian households, not just in economic figures.