Security takes the highest allocation of N5.41tn in the proposed 2026 budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT).
PBAT on Friday, December 19, presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill totalling N58.18tn to a joint session of the National Assembly, saying national security remained the foundation of economic growth, investment and social stability.
This is the third consecutive year that defence and security spending has taken priority, first time being in 2023, when PBAT began presenting national budgets.
Under the 2026 proposal, defence and security will receive N5.41tn, ahead of infrastructure, education, and health.
“Security remains the foundation of development,” the President told lawmakers, stressing that without peace and stability, other sectors of the economy would struggle to thrive.
Hours earlier, the Federal Executive Council had approved the 2026 budget framework at an emergency meeting presided over for the first time by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The council pegged total expenditure at N58.47tn, with heavy spending pressures from debt service, wages, and security obligations.
Beyond security, the 2026 budget also proposes N3.56tn for infrastructure, N3.52tn for education, and N2.48tn for health.
PBAT urged lawmakers to support the proposal, arguing that the budget was designed to consolidate recent economic gains while restoring public confidence in the state’s ability to protect lives and property.
