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Tinubu signs 2026 appropriation bill, 2025 budget extension

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President Bola Tinubu has signed the 2026 Appropriation Bill into law. The budget provides for an aggregate expenditure of ₦68.32 trillion.

He also signed the bill extending the implementation period for the 2025 budget from March 31, 2026, to June 30, 2026.

This was announced on Friday in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The ₦68.32 trillion budget for this year earmarks ₦4.799 trillion for statutory transfers and ₦15.8 trillion for debt service.

It allocates ₦15.4 trillion to recurrent expenditure and ₦32.2 trillion to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure.

“With capital expenditure accounting for about 50 per cent, the 2026 budget underscores the administration’s continued commitment to economic stability, national security, infrastructure development, and inclusive growth.

“The allocations reflect a strategic balance between statutory obligations, debt servicing, recurrent expenditure, and capital investments critical to driving productivity and improving the quality of life for Nigerians,” the statement read in part.

The President also has assented to the Appropriation (Repeal and Enactment) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which extends the implementation period of the capital component of the 2025 Appropriation Act from March 31, 2026, to June 30, 2026.

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The extension, the statement revealed, would ensure the full and effective utilisation of appropriated funds, particularly for critical infrastructure and development projects that are at advanced stages of implementation across the country.

“It will enable ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to consolidate ongoing works, enhance project completion rates, and maximise value for public expenditure. With the 2026 Appropriation Act coming into force on April 1, the Federal Government will commence full implementation in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda,” it added.

Additionally, President Tinubu directed MDAs to ensure disciplined, transparent, and efficient utilisation of allocated resources, with a strong emphasis on value for money and timely project delivery.

He commended the National Assembly for its diligence, cooperation, and patriotism in expeditiously considering and passing the budget.

The President reaffirmed the importance of sustained collaboration between the executive and legislative arms of government in advancing national development objectives.

Tinubu also assured Nigerians of his administration’s resolve to deepen fiscal reforms, enhance revenue generation, and prioritise investments that will stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and strengthen social protection mechanisms.

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The budget is also expected to be partly financed through external borrowing, following the approval of a foreign loan plan exceeding $21 billion to bridge the fiscal gap.

The 2026 budget represents an increase of ₦9.85 trillion over the initial proposal of ₦58.47 trillion that Tinubu submitted to the National Assembly, and ₦13.33 trillion higher than the 2025 budget.

The President had while presenting the 2025 budget proposal before federal lawmakers in December 2025, pegged the capital expenditure at ₦26.08 trillion and the crude oil benchmark at US$64.85 per barrel.

He disclosed that the expected total revenue was ₦34.33 trillion; ₦15.52 trillion for debt servicing.

The proposal was anchored on a crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of ₦1,400 to the US Dollar for the 2026 fiscal year.

Amid the growing concerns over insecurity across the country, Tinubu said his administration would “invest in security with clear accountability for outcomes—because security spending must deliver security results”.

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“We will take decisive steps to strengthen agricultural markets. Food security is national security.

“The 2026 budget prioritises input financing and mechanisation; irrigation and climate‑resilient agriculture; storage and processing; and agro‑value chains,” he told the National Assembly members.

Nigeria’s budgets in recent years have come under fire with experts critcising the poor implementation and release of funds for the execution of important national projects.

But the Tinubu administration said that the 2026 national budget was well-planned to solidify the gains of its reform agenda.

“Our ‘Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity’ is critical. It is a commitment to double down on what is working, to solidify gains, and to ensure that the shared prosperity we speak of becomes a lived reality for more Nigerians, faster,” Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said in a statement.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: Kidnap terror: 30 Kwara kings flee palaces

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1. No fewer than 30 traditional rulers across the southern area of Kwara State have fled their palaces following a sustained wave of kidnappings, killings and violent attacks, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.

Our correspondents gathered from two credible community leaders that the affected monarchs were seeking refuge in urban centres, including Ilorin, Osogbo, Offa, and Lagos.

2. The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, on Friday raised concerns over the Federal Government’s continued reliance on borrowing despite the removal of petrol subsidy. Speaking during an interview on TV, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) warned that weak fiscal discipline could undermine the gains expected from recent economic reforms.

3. President Bola Tinubu on Friday administered the oath of office to Dr Muttaqha Rabe Darma from Katsina State as the new minister of housing and urban development, following his Senate clearance. President Tinubu, at the short ceremony at the State House, congratulated Dr Darma for coming on board at this “very challenging time of national development.

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4. Taiwo Oyedele has officially taken over as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy following the completion of the handover process by his predecessor, Wale Edun. According to a statement issued on Friday by the Head of Information and Public Relations Unit, Efe Ovuakporie, the handover took place on Thursday, April 23, 2026, in line with a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

5. Gunmen have reportedly killed five people, including a traditional ruler, his wife, son and two other residents in Olegabulu community of Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State. Residents said the attack occurred on Thursday night when the assailants, who arrived on two motorcycles, stormed the monarch’s residence and opened fire on him and his family members.

6. A former chairman of the defunct Skye Bank Plc, Tunde Ayeni, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged money laundering, misappropriation and diversion of funds amounting to N36.54bn and $30m. It was gathered that Ayeni, who was arrested in Abuja on Thursday, is currently being detained at the commission’s facility.

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7. The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet against the wishes of the President who had dissuaded him from quitting, Saturday PUNCH has learnt. Insiders familiar with the back and forth that preceded the resignation told our correspondents on Friday that Adelabu insisted on quitting the cabinet to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.


8. A Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja has awarded N1 billion in damages against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in a defamation suit filed by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello. Akpoti-Uduaghan has, however, rejected the judgment, declaring her intention to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.

9. President Bola Tinubu on Friday held a closed-door meeting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and some members of the House at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. It was learnt that the Friday’s meeting, which was not on the President’s official schedule, took place shortly after the lawmakers joined him for Jummah prayers at the State House Mosque.

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10. Benue State Police Command has arrested two suspects in connection with the killing of a National Youth Service Corps member, Ben Agir, who was allegedly mobbed to death by a vigilante group over a motorcycle he reportedly owned. Agir was killed last Sunday night at Major Settlement, near Buruku Local Government Secretariat, in Buruku Local Government Area of the state. He was accused of stealing a motorcycle before being attacked.

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Defamation: Court orders Natasha to pay Yahaya Bello N1bn

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A high court in Lokoja, Kogi state, has ordered Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi central, to pay N1 billion in damages to former governor of Kogi, Yahaya Bello, over defamatory comments.

In a judgement delivered on Thursday, April 23, A.S. Ibrahim, the presiding judge, held that the claimant proved his case on the balance of probabilities.

The suit, marked HCL/16/2023, centred on comments made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during an appearance on The Morning Show, a programme on Arise TV, on November 4, 2022.

The judge ruled that the statements, in which Bello was described as a ‘murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi state”, were defamatory and not justified.

“The interview granted by the defendant on 4/11/2022 on Arise TV programme ‘The Morning Show’ is defamatory to the claimant’s character and reputation,” the judge held.

“The said interview of 4/11/2022, in which the defendant described the claimant as a murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi state, was without justification.”

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The judge also issued a perpetual injunction restraining Akpoti-Uduaghan, her agents or associates from making further defamatory statements against Bello on television or radio.

“The sum of one billion naira is awarded as damages against the defendant and in favour of the claimant,” the judge ruled.

Bello had filed the suit, alleging that the statements damaged his reputation.

During proceedings, Johnson Usman, counsel to the defendant, challenged the jurisdiction of the court, arguing that the suit constituted an abuse of court process.

Friday Ekpa, counsel to Bello, opposed the objection, maintaining that related cases before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court did not involve Bello in his personal capacity.

Earlier during the trial, the Kogi high court ruled that it had jurisdiction to hear the case.

The decision was later affirmed by the court of appeal, which dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appeal for lacking merit.

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Alleged N36bn, $30m fraud: EFCC arrests ex-Skye Bank chair Tunde Ayeni

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested businessman and former chairman of the defunct Skye Bank Plc, Tunde Ayeni, over an alleged multi-billion naira fraud.

According to a report by TheCable, Ayeni was arrested in Abuja on Thursday and is currently in EFCC custody as investigations continue.

The anti-graft agency is probing the alleged diversion and misappropriation of funds estimated at N36.5 billion and $30 million, said to have been obtained from Polaris Bank Plc through companies linked to him.

According to sources, the funds, secured as loans for specific projects, were diverted to other accounts and used for other purposes.

The loans – originally meant for financing marine security, electricity distribution contract, estate development, were allegedly channelled into the acquisition of telecom assets linked to NITEL/MTEL through a NATCOM account.

The commission is also investigating about 12 companies linked to Ayeni, which were allegedly used to obtain the loans from Polaris Bank.

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Ayeni is expected to be arraigned upon the conclusion of investigations.

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