President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to formally present the 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly on Friday, December 19, 2025, barring any last-minute changes to the schedule.
Ahead of the presentation, lawmakers are expected to be informed through a formal communication from the Presidency, which will be read during plenary in the House of Representatives when session resumes on Thursday.
A letter dated December 17, 2025, signed by Essien Eyo Essien, Secretary of Human Resources and Staff Development on behalf of the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, outlines the arrangements. According to the correspondence, President Tinubu — in his role as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces — will deliver the budget proposal to the legislature at 2:00 p.m. on Friday.
The letter also details security and access guidelines for the event, instructing accredited attendees to be at their duty posts by 11:00 a.m., as access to the National Assembly complex will be limited thereafter. Non-accredited persons are advised to stay away, while most staff have been directed to park in designated areas outside the complex.
The annual budget presentation is a key moment in Nigeria’s fiscal calendar, marking the official submission of the Federal Government’s spending plans for the coming year to the legislature for review, debate and eventual approval.
By tradition, although the 1999 Constitution (as amended) empowers the President to lay budget estimates before either chamber of the National Assembly, successive administrations — including this one — have used a joint session to formally introduce the bill. This allows the President to highlight the government’s economic priorities and spending strategy while underscoring cooperation between the executive and legislative branches.
Once presented, the Appropriation Bill will be referred to relevant National Assembly committees for detailed scrutiny, public hearings and possible revisions before it is passed and sent back to the President for assent.
